Field scale planting. Go big or go home

The second half of April 2022 saw our field scale plantings of willow (at Myerscough College in Lancashire) and Miscanthus (at Bishop Burton College in East Yorkshire). These plantings are intended to showcase best practice for each crop at a scale that is relevant to farmers (each is about 8 hectares). Both are also fitted with eddy flux covariance systems, in order to measure the greenhouse gas fluxes occuring during land preparation, planting, establishment and for the first few years of growth. For each site there is also a neighbouring field with a flux tower in it, where the previous land use is being continued, so that we can compare the greenhouse gas fluxes.

Below a few shots from the Miscanthus planting.

Miscanthus plug plants being planted using machinery
The Miscanthus plug planting machine does 4 rows at a time and is towed behind a tractor.
Miscanthus being planted and covered with mulch film
On the right you can see the Miscanthus plugs planted by the operatives in the planting machinery. On the left you can see the tractor that then follows over laying film over the plants, which aids establishment by conserving moisture and increasing the temperature around the young plant.
Field planted with Miscanthus plugs under film
Aerial view of field scale Miscanthus plug planting under film. It’s important to have a tractor driver who is good at going in very straight lines!
Field planted with Miscanthus under film
Aerial shot of field scale Miscanthus plug planting, after the film layer had been applied.
Drone shot of Miscanthus planting near an eddy flux tower
Our field of Miscanthus is instrumented with eddy flux covariance to measure the greenhouse gas balance. In the interests of not crashing tractors into expensive monitoring equipment, the area immediately around the flux towers was planted by hand, hence the breaks in the film layer.
Miscanthus plug plants in trays arriving on a lorry.
This is what the Miscanthus plugs look like when they arrive on the back of a lorry.

Meanwhile over at Myerscough where the willow was planted…

Willow being planted at Myersough
Willow planting in action.
Willow planting machinery in use
Willow being planted. A mixture of species is carried by the machine as rods. People (normally 2) on the platform feed rods into a cutting slot, which cuts the rods into short sections and then pushes them into the soil.
An eddy flux system
Willow being planted up close to the flux tower in the field scale willow trial
willow shoot from a recently planted rod.
A couple of weeks after planting, leaves are clearly visible from the planted willow rod.