What’s new with MERIT that wasn’t there before
Miscanthus cultivation is already well established in Western Europe and the UK. However, Ukraine presents different challenges in terms of scale, land conditions, the severity of its winters and war-related issues — all of which require a fundamentally different approach. Rather than simply replicating the existing model, MERIT is developing new methods specifically designed for Ukraine.
The main problem
Traditional propagation of miscanthus by dividing existing rhizomes is a slow process, increasing the area under cultivation by approximately 20-fold every few years. Given Ukraine’s land resources, which amount to millions of hectares, such a pace is wholly inadequate. Furthermore, the business models, genotype selection, planting techniques and harvesting equipment that are effective for small and medium-sized European farms are ill-suited to Ukraine’s vast, often polluted and infrastructure-constrained agricultural lands.
MERIT combines tissue culture-based micropropagation with cutting-edge agronomic strategies, achieving expansion rates of over 500-fold per season. The main outcome of the project is the establishment of Ukraine’s first specialised centre for miscanthus tissue culture, designed to meet the needs of the local agricultural sector.
By selecting specially developed varieties adapted to Ukrainian winters and contaminated soils, and combining them with tried-and-tested agricultural practices, MERIT bridges the gap between what is available in Europe and what Ukraine actually needs.
Six areas of innovation
MERIT’s innovations cover the entire value chain — from propagation and planting to monitoring, harvesting and utilisation.
Mass propagation using tissue culture
Ukraine’s first centre for the micropropagation of miscanthus, which produces thousands of uniform, healthy seedlings per season, enabling a rate of propagation that would be impossible using traditional rhizome division.
Precision mechanised planting
GPS-based sowing protocols, adapted to the agricultural machinery currently available in Ukraine, which help to reduce labour costs, improve crop uniformity and make large-scale implementation economically viable.
Remote sensing and analysis using artificial intelligence
Satellite and drone imagery, combined with AI-based analysis, enables the automatic detection of weeds, growth monitoring and yield forecasting in fields that are too large to manage manually.
Field granulation and green harvesting
On-site pelletisation methods and the harvesting of green biomass, adapted to the scale of Ukrainian farms, make it possible to process biomass closer to where it is grown, thereby reducing transport costs and infrastructure requirements.
Assessment of phyto-remediation
Systematic protocols are currently being developed to assess the accumulation of harmful substances in miscanthus grown on land affected by military operations, which will enable the safe disposal of biomass from areas unsuitable for food production.
Various ways of using biomass
Biomass products are tailored to various end markets — pellets for local heating, straw bales for energy production, green material for biogas production, and fibres for building materials — ensuring maximum economic sustainability.
Short-term results
- Off-grid biomass systems ensure a power supply during attacks on infrastructure
- Creating low-intensity seasonal jobs for disadvantaged groups
- Abandoned land is once again being used for productive, income-generating activities
Long-term results
- The renewable energy sector, based on local resources and skilled personnel
- Miscanthus crops yield harvests for over 20 years with minimal use of chemicals
- Distributed value chains that enable even small farms to supply energy to large consumers
Why wasn’t this done sooner?
The introduction of industrial-scale Miscanthus cultivation on contaminated land is unprecedented in Europe. The combination of tissue culture propagation, agronomic technologies for cold climates adapted to Eastern European conditions, and remote sensing management across fields covering hundreds of thousands of hectares takes the MERIT project beyond existing standards and makes Ukraine a model for post-war land restoration worldwide.