Energy Productivity Potential Assessment of Saccharum spontaneum L. Germplasm Resources

In order to research the energy productivity potential of Saccharum spontaneum L. as an energy plant, the cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, ash content and caloric value of wild S. spontaneum L. resources were determined in this study. The results showed that the cellulose and hemicellulose contents of 30 S. spontaneum L. resources were in the range of 41.75% to 69.13%, the lignin contents were in the range of 2.16% to 11.75%, the ash content was in the range of 4.79%to 9.34%, and the caloric value was in the range of 16.00 to 17.69 MJ/kg. Compared with other plants, the cellulose and hemicellulose contents and caloric value of S. spontaneum L. resources were higher, while the lignin and ash contents were lower. It indicated that these S. spontaneum L. resources had great potential as energy plants for alcohol production. A cluster analysis was also carried on the 30 S. spontaneum L. resources, and it finally obtained three clusters which were high energy productivity type, medium energy productivity type and low energy productivity type, respectively.