In the U.S., much of the effort to develop new bioenergy and bioproduct crops has focused on herbaceous grasses that can be used as cellulose sources. Efforts center on developing grasses that can be produced with high yields on large acreages using commercial agricultural production systems.
The herbaceous crop receiving the greatest attention in the U.S. is switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). The major focus of the Europeans has been on Miscanthus and this crop is beginning to be looked at in the U.S. as well. A number of other grass crops could also be used for bioenergy and bioproducts, but research is limited.