GIANT REED

Giant Reed grows best in well drained soils where abundant moisture is available. It thrives in sandy alkaline soils but it is adaptable to most soil types from heavy clay to lose sand with pH between 5 and 8.7.

It readily grows in temperate to tropical climates (zones 5 and higher) but biomass yield will depend on the length of the growing season and rainfall. Giant Reed survives both periodic flooding and severe drought. In one study of side-by-side irrigation regimes, annual crop yields after four years without irrigation in a dry Mediterranean climate dropped below 8.5 dry U.S. tons per acre (19 t dm/ha/yr), where irrigating 1.73 inches/ year ( 44 mm/yr ) for the same climatic conditions produced 16.5 dry U.S. tons (37 t dm/ha/yr), and irrigating 33.82 inches/ year (859 mm/yr) increased crop yield to 20 dry U.S. tons per acre (44.8 t dm/ha/yr). Annual production can potentially be increased to 45 US dry tons per acre (100 t dm/ha/yr) under optimal conditions of warm climate and underground irrigation.

Giant reed can either be harvested annually or bi-annually depending on production expectations and growing conditions. Unlike some novel crops mechanical means are available for both planting and harvesting of Giant Reed.

Few pests have been reported on giant reed, the requirement for pesticides is therefore negligible or even nil in most cases. The crop appeals to many growers due to the low agrochemical inputs required, this is also beneficial to the environment.

The high yield potential of Giant Reed, coupled with high quality fiber content and crop bio-filtering and the use of otherwise wastewater for irrigation make broad acre plantations a serious alternative to conventional hardwood plantations. In regard to Giant Reed as feedstock for commercial scale pulping operations, trials have strongly indicated that this fiber source is equivalent to northern hardwoods. All paper grades can be achieved using the high quality fiber produced by the crop.

Giant Reed is an efficient metabolic bio-filtering device for sewage effluents when cultivated in a close gravel hydroponic system, where nutrient solution is wastewater, can contribute to the possibilities of designing sustainable systems for wastewater use in a productive way.