Nedilska U.
Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor, State Agrarian and
Engineering University in Podilia, Kamianets-Podilskyi City, Ukraine
PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY
FORMATION OF MISCANTHUS DEPENDING ON ELEMENTS
OF GROWING TECHNOLOGY UNDER CONDITIONS
OF WESTERN FOREST-STEPPE
Introduction. Bioenergetics is developing very rapidly in the world practice, and
in Ukraine, a real interest to the familiarization with the latest technologies has arisen
over the past ten years. Technologies of using alternative energy sources have become
especially important in connection with the rapid increase in the cost of energy carriers.
So this promising area is under the research of the world's leading countries. The
agrarian sector gradually transforms from a consumer of energy to its producer.
The soil and climate conditions of most regions of Ukraine are favorable for the
cultivation of crops with a high level of biomass energy's accumulation during
vegetation. However, until now, the problem of identifying priority crops for biofuels
has not been solved. Some nontraditional crops that can accumulate large biomass have
significant prospects for bioenergetics in Ukraine, in particular due to the fact that their
photosynthesis takes place for a long period of time – from early spring to late autumn.
An important criterion during the industrial production of different types of biofuels is
the possibility of ensuring the processing of raw materials throughout the year, because
transport costs for the delivery of raw materials to the plant's territory and its storage
prior to inclusion in the technological process of processing make up significant
expenses of the entire cycle.
The necessity for efficient use of biofuels in the energy balance of Ukraine is
provided by the Law of Ukraine "On Alternative Types of Fuels" as of May 21, 2009
No. 1391-IV, which defines the legal, social, economic, environmental and
organizational grounds of production and consumption of alternative types of fuels
based on involvement of non-traditional sources and types of energy raw materials, and
aims the creation of relevant conditions for expanding production and consumption of
these fuels in Ukraine [1].
Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus Giganteus) is one of the widest range of high-yield
crops for cultivation in Ukraine. A plant with a four-meter stem and pilose tomentous
inflorescence without seeds is a good energy source, since it contains a significant
amount of cellulose – 64 ... 71%. The carbon dioxide released during the combustion
of biomass does not exceed its amount previously absorbed by plants during
- 49 -