noun

• 1The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.

  ‘Harvest index was measured as the ratio between root weight and total biomass.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘However, it has increased the grain yield potential and thereby the ratio of grain mass to total above-ground biomass or harvest index.’
  • ‘Total biomass was also increased relative to controls by the end of the experiment.’
  • ‘Biomass composition as a percentage of total biomass for three stages of development in Dionaea.’
  • ‘At each time point, total biomass and chlorophyll contents of seven individual plants were quantified.’
  • ‘In contrast, later formed leaves remained smaller and total leaf biomass remained substantially reduced in the mutants.’
  • ‘Contaminants are subsequently removed by harvesting the above-ground shoot biomass for volume reduction and storage.’
  • ‘We therefore tracked plant growth using leaf height as a surrogate for aboveground dry weight biomass.’
  • ‘Both the real and the virtual plants responded to removal of branches by producing a taller plant bearing larger leaves, but less total biomass.’
  • ‘Lichens thus dominate the Antarctic flora both in terms of species diversity and in terms of total biomass.’
  • ‘I estimated colony size from the volume of the nest mound, which increases with total ant biomass.’
  • ‘Total plant biomass was calculated as the sum of the two.’
  • ‘Total biomass of resident birds was always higher than that of wintering birds at Tinaja Verde.’
  • ‘The curves were added together and are shown in the right panels; the data points are the total above-ground biomass.’
  • ‘By summing the total biomass of all classes, we get the total biomass estimate for each district.’
  • ‘Total stem biomass was measured after drying the plant material in an oven at 70°C until constant weight.’
  • ‘At intervals, plants were harvested for biomass and leaf area analysis according to Nogués et al..’
  • ‘Daytime food abundance was expressed as total dry biomass of insects collected per day.’
  • ‘The authors also presented data on total root system biomass; shoot growth was not assayed.’
  • ‘Reproductive allocation is usually measured as the ratio between seed and total biomass.’

  1. 1.1Organic matter used as a fuel, especially in a power station for the generation of electricity.
     ‘The proposal has the added bonus of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of biomass to generate electricity.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘The use of biomass electrical generation is hardly the environmental boon it's made out to be.’
     • ‘He also sees huge potential for biomass fired electricity in the West of Ireland.’
     • ‘The company also sources and sells biomass wood fuels from other producers.’
     • ‘But some of it may be revegetated for biomass production for shrubs and trees to make biomass fuels out of possibly.’
     • ‘The minister recently visited a cluster of three sites at Crymych which are fuelled by biomass wood pellet boilers.’
     • ‘People will be encouraged to consume alternative power generated from biomass.’
     • ‘The company now exports biomass fuel to the Netherlands and Britain for power production and the home heating market.’
     • ‘There are more efficient ways to tap into the sun's energy via biomass fuels.’
     • ‘Coal and biomass fuels are used for household cooking and heating by almost 3 billion people worldwide’
     • ‘They are used instead for animal feed and increasingly for biomass fuel, such as ethanol.’
     • ‘Domestic biomass fuel combustion and chronic bronchitis in two rural Bolivian villages.’
     • ‘Nuclear power could free up more fossil and biomass fuels to use as liquid fuel for ground transportation.’
     • ‘He covered solar energy, wind energy, biomass and biogas, geothermal activity and thermal power.’
     • ‘Farmers are being offered millions of pounds worth of grants in an effort to boost production of biomass to meet renewable energy targets.’
     • ‘He said the company was in discussions with a major hotel chain about installing biomass generators in their properties around Scotland.’
     • ‘Faced with patented technology that no one wants to eat, biotech companies are now discussing growing GM crops for biomass fuel.’
     • ‘Solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass all show great potential as sources of electricity.’
     • ‘AES Drax is also seeking approval to test a plant-based biomass fuel, milled palm nut.’
     • ‘In total, burning this biomass will not add to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.’