Switchgrass and Giant Miscanthus Agronomy - Engineering and Science of Biomass Feedstock Production and Provision - page 35

Chapter 3
Switchgrass and Giant Miscanthus Agronomy

D. K. Lee , Allen S. Parrish , and Thomas B. Voigt

Abstract Sustainable biomass feedstock production is the necessary fi rst step
for cellulosic biofuel and bioenergy production. Two species, switchgrass
( Panicum virgatum L.) and giant miscanthus ( Miscanthus × giganteus ), are of
interest as dedicated energy crops as both have great biomass production potential.
Switchgrass, a perennial warm-season grass native to most of North America, has
been evaluated for biomass feedstock production in many parts of world and
shows promise as a productive feedstock with many environmental benefi ts. Giant
miscanthus, also a perennial warm-season grass, originated in Japan and has
recently been evaluated as a feedstock because of substantial biomass production.
The management of these two crops is very different; switchgrass is propagated
using seeds and giant miscanthus is a sterile hybrid that requires asexual propaga-
tion using either rhizomes or plugs. This chapter provides detailed practical infor-
mation on establishment and post-establishment management for these two grasses
as dedicated energy crops.

3.1 Introduction

According to the Billion Ton Update published in 2011, perennial grasses will pro-
vide a large portion of the biofuel used to reach the liquid transportation fuel goals
in the USA because these plants meet the characteristics of ideal energy crops [ 1 ].
For example, Long [ 2 ] and Heaton et al. [ 3 ] wrote that ideal energy crops should be
quick-growing; require low energy input versus energy output; use sunlight effi -
ciently, through C4 photosynthesis; use water, nitrogen, and nutrients effi ciently
during growth and have low water content at harvest; require minimal cultivation