Three lignocellulose features that distinctively affect biomass enzymatic digestibility under NaOH and H2SO4 pretreatments in Miscanthus

► Crude- and crystalline cellulose features were distinct on biomass saccharification. ► Crude cellulose CrI/MN and crystalline DP negatively affect biomass digestibility. ► Crude cellulose DP and crystalline MN were positive factors in some cases. ► Cross effects occur among cellulose level and three cellulose features. ► Suggest the potential to genetically engineering of bioenergy crops. In this study, total 80 typical Miscanthus accessions were examined with diverse lignocellulose features, including cellulose crystallinity (CrI), degree of polymerization (DP), and mole number (MN). Correlation analysis revealed that the crude cellulose CrI and MN, as well as crystalline cellulose DP, displayed significantly negative influence on biomass enzymatic digestibility under pretreatments with NaOH or H2SO4 at three concentrations. By contrast, the comparative analysis of two Miscanthus samples with similar cellulose contents showed that crude cellulose DP and crystalline cellulose MN were positive factors on biomass saccharification, indicating cross effects among the cellulose levels and the three cellulose features. The results can provide insights into mechanism of the lignocellulose enzymatic digestion, and also suggest potential approaches for genetic engineering of bioenergy crops.