Johnson, Mari‐Vaughn V.

Kiniry, James R.

English

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress Producing Biofuels with Alternative Fertilizers: A Comparison of Two Promising Species Mari‐Vaughn V. Johnson U.S. Department of Agriculture James R. Kiniry U.S. Department of Agriculture Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/21-1/3 The XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅱ 　 瞯 ]1031　 瞯Grasslands/Rangelands People and Policies——— Non‐Livestock Amenities of Grasslands/Rangelands ResourcesProducing biofuels with alternative fertilizers : a comparison of two promising speciesMari‐V aughn V . JohnsonJames R . K iniryUSDA‐ARS ; G rassland , Soil , and W ater Research L aboratory ; 808 East Blackland Road ; Temp le , Texas 76502Mari‐V aughn .Johnson＠ ars .usda .govKey words : cellulosic ethanol , sustainable energy , Miscanthus , switchgrass , manure fertilizerIntroduction Globally , human systems need economically feasible , ecologically sound energy sources . Under rising energy costsassociated with fossil fuels and concern over global climate change , countries are considering alternative energy sources ,including renewable biomass development . Warm season perennial bunchgrasses are some of our best prospects for developingsustainable cropping systems for biomass and lignocellulosic energy production . These grasses are harvested on an annual orintra annual basis . Farmers cannot hope to continuously reap profits and production from a system without returning nutrientsto the system to assure continued production . Unfortunately , most conventional nitrogen fertilizer is currently derived fromfossil fuel driven Haber‐Bosch process , which is deleterious to the Carbon balance and to the financial benefits gained fromproducing the grasses . However , bunchgrasses readily respond to manure‐based fertilizers and show promise as filter strips infields in which manure is applied . There is much interest in whether the North American native Panicum v irgatum or the Asiannative Miscanthus × giganteus is the most productive and sustainable potential biomass/ lignocellulosic stock species . Thecomparative productivity of these two species is especially important as land managers decide which grass to plant for optimaleconomic and ecological return . We anticipate continued global interest in these species as the global community develops andexpands the renewable energy sector .Methods and materials We present a side‐by side comparison of these species during the establishment year of a planned long‐term study on a dairy operation in Comanche County , Central Texas . We used a completely randomized design , with fiverepetitions of two treatments (１ . dairy lagoon effluent application and ２ . no manure or irrigation) . We measured leaf area index( LAI) on biweekly intervals ( n＝ ９ ) between １３ June — ２７ August ２００７ . We also sampled biomass data in July and August ( n＝ ２ ) .Results and discussion Over the growing season , the average Miscanthus LAI (２ .０ ) under irrigated conditions was only ８７％ ofthe Panicum LAI (２ .３ ) . Under un‐irrigated conditions Miscanthus LAI (１ .２) was only ６３％ of the Panicum LAI (１ .９) . Un‐irrigated Miscanthus suffered a more severe decrease in LAI (４２％ ) than did un‐irrigated Panicum ( ２０％ ) as compared to LAIvalues produced under irrigation . In June ２００７ , under effluent treatment , Miscanthus produced ４５％ more biomass (４０８ ± １１７g /m２ ) than did Panicum (２２３ ± １７１ g /m２ ) , while under non‐irrigated conditions Miscanthus produced １５％ less biomass (２２８± １４８ g /m２ ) than Panicum (２６３ ± １１７ g /m２ ) . By August ２００７ , irrigated Miscanthus had lost its advantage , producing only８２％ as much biomass as Panicum ( ９０１ ± ８４ g /m２ vs . １０９４ ± １４１ g /m２ ) , while under un‐irrigated conditions Miscanthusproduced only ４８％ as much biomass (４０７ ± ９７ g /m２ ) as Panicum (８５１ ± １３８ g /m２ ) . Similar to LAI results , lack of irrigationhad a far more deleterious effect on Miscanthus biomass ( ５５％ less ) than on Panicum biomass ( ３２％ less ) as compared toirrigated plants . These findings are in keeping with assessments of mature , un‐irrigated , nutrient deprived ,５ year old stands atTemple , Texas . The Panicum and Miscanthus plots at Temple , Texas are established in a completely randomized design withfour repetitions . In both ２００６ and ２００７ , Miscanthus produced ４４％ less biomass than Panicum ( ２９０７ ± ６１２ g /m２ vs . ５１７５ ±１９７４ g /m２ ) .Conclusions Based on these observations in both first‐year and mature stands in Central Texas , we conclude that Miscanthus isa promising biomass/ lignocellulosic stock species under irrigated , high nutrient conditions , while Panicum will outperformMiscanthus under less favorable conditions and is more suitable in drier , more nutrient deficient areas .

Producing Biofuels with Alternative Fertilizers: A Comparison of Two Promising Species

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3858&context=igc

Producing Biofuels with Alternative Fertilizers: A Comparison of Two Promising Species

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