Lodging — Giant Miscanthus

Giant Miscanthus exhibits high natural resistance to lodging, which is attributed to the lignified structure of its stems. For quantitative assessment, laboratory methods for determining strength characteristics are used, measuring bending resistance, stiffness, and the geometric parameters of the internodes. An important morphological indicator of stability is the stem diameter at the base, which is approximately 15 mm.

Lodging critically impacts the economics of cultivation due to the obstruction of harvesting equipment and an increased risk of biomass contamination with soil, which leads to an increase in the ash content of the raw material. This risk increases during overwintering; therefore, the selection of harvest timing directly depends on maintaining the physical integrity of the stand and its ability to withstand wind loads without contact with the soil surface.