Is giant reed a 'miracle plant' or the next kudzu?
Is giant reed a 'miracle plant' or the next kudzu?
By ALLEN G. BREED
AP National Writer / November 17, 2012
OXFORD, N.C. (AP) — It’s fast-growing and drought-tolerant, producing tons of biomass per acre. It thrives even in poor soil and is a self-propagating perennial, so it requires little investment once established.
To people in the renewable fuels industry, Arundo donax — also known as ‘‘giant reed’’ — is nothing short of a miracle plant. An Oregon power plant is looking at it as a potential substitute for coal, and North Carolina boosters are salivating over the prospect of an ethanol bio-refinery that would bring millions of dollars in investment and dozens of high-paying jobs to hog country.
But to many scientists and environmentalists, Arundo looks less like a miracle than a nightmare waiting to happen. Officials in at least three states have banned the bamboo-like grass as a ‘‘noxious weed"; California has spent more than $70 million trying to eradicate it. The federal government has labeled it a ‘‘high risk’’ for invasiveness.
Many are comparing Arundo, which can reach heights of 30 feet in a single season, to another aggressive Asian transplant — the voracious kudzu vine.
More:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2012/11/17/giant-reed-miracle-plant-the-next-kudzu/yaa9lHvJShlHlmUJrfK6gN/story.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
