In detail, the group is examining the ability of miscanthus to give new life to the soils in Appalachia, as in the region thousands of acres of land have been deemed unsuitable for crop cultivation because of past mining.
“Anyone could grow miscanthus on their land on a small scale or a larger scale,” Jenni Kane, a doctoral student involved in the study, said in a media statement. “This could become a crop that can be grown and sold. It could also bring back nutrients and soil structure, so the long-term impact could be economic and environmental.”
In Kane’s view, production on marginal land can help improve soil health and isolate soil carbon, restoring the land and mitigating climate change.
“The better we can have plants grow and take CO2 from the air and put it into the ground, the better outcome we can have with climate change,” soil science professor Jeff Skousen pointed out in the communiqué.
