Whether this spring growth is again is checked by late frosts will be interesting to see. Zub and Brancourt-Hulmel’s (2009) research on crop production in Europe suggests frost tolerance is a breed trait that needs to be improved if Mxg is to be produced in colder regions. Their research indicates susceptibility to winter frost at temperatures below −8 °C for rhizomes and −3.5 °C for young shoots of Mxg can lead to significant plant losses and lower yields. Research by Lewandowski et al (2000) also indicates that in the first winter following planting, the rather shallow and under-developed rhizomes can often be damaged or destroyed by cold and or wet conditions. There are no reports of over-wintering problems in the second and subsequent winters. This year’s relatively mild Canterbury winter should prove to be a bonus to this season’s plant growth and well developed shelterbelts should be the outcome from those Mxg plantings in irrigated paddocks. This is providing that the damage caused to the centre pivot at Aylesbury Farm by the recent storm that hit the region on the September 10 (Fig.7) is repaired before water stress levels become too severe. The immediate area surrounding Aylesbury Farm suffered extensive tree damage, something that would not occur with Miscanthus shelterbelts at this time of year as above ground material would have been harvested or senesced. With harvested plots no stock shelter would be available but with senesced plants some shelter protection is still present.

If high Mxg yields of 30 Tonnes-1 ha or more are to be achieved in the Canterbury region then lasts years growth studies, where irrigated plants were on average a metre taller than unirrigated ones, indicates that irrigation is essential. The observations of frost effect on young growth also suggest that in particularly cold winters mulching may be necessary to mitigate any crop damage in the first winter.