Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 3.1
Lowland-type switchgrass stand in August (
left
) and “Illinois”-type giant miscanthus
stand (
right
) in September in Illinois
and pest-control inputs; should not be invasive; and be managed using existing agri-
cultural equipment. Additionally, production and processing of ideal bioenergy
feedstocks should generate less greenhouse gas than conventional fossil fuels and
should neither compete with food production nor induce direct or indirect land-use
change [
4
]. Finally, ideal energy crops should produce relatively large amounts of
biomass on marginal lands or abandoned farms and have positive environmental
effects on those settings [
5
,
6
].
A number of perennial grasses have been identifi ed as potential feedstocks.
Switchgrass, giant miscanthus, energycane, reed canarygrass, giant reed, and US
native grasses such as big bluestem, indiangrass, and prairie cordgrass are all being
studied for potential use as bioenergy feedstocks. Of this group, warm-season grasses
are generally desired for feedstock production in temperate, subtropical, and tropical
regions. Warm-season grasses use the C4 photosynthesis mechanism which nor-
mally provides better heat and drought tolerance, as well as greater water- and nitro-
gen-use effi ciency, compared to cool-season grasses. Two C4 grasses, switchgrass
(
Panicum virgatum
) and giant miscanthus (
Miscanthus
×
giganteus
), are receiving
the greatest attention in temperate areas (Fig.
3.1
). In 2008 the US Department of
Energy-Funded Sun Grant Regional Feedstock Partnership identifi ed these two feed-
stocks, along with sorghum and energycane, for potential scale-up production [
7
].
In this chapter, we discuss the agronomy of switchgrass and giant miscanthus
when grown for bioenergy production. Proper establishment, followed by proper
management, is necessary for sustainable biomass production of perennial grasses.
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