Native Grasses for Biomass Production at High Elevations - Industrial Crops: Breeding for BioEnergy and Bioproducts - page 124

available for irrigating biofuel crops and would not compete with freshwater
sources.
Production of perennial grasses for biomass would create opportunities that are
environmentally beneficial. Dedicated biofuel crops are not likely to have adverse
impacts on water quality because the use of pesticides and fertilizers is limited. It is
possible that the production of dedicated biofuel crops could actually improve
water quality under the proper crop management production system. For example,
in western Colorado, the production of low-input biomass would reduce irrigation
applications and thus reduce salt and selenium loading into the Colorado River and
could improve water quality for downstream users in California and other western
states.
Because of their deep systems and year-round cover, herbaceous perennial
energy crops have the potential to reduce soil erosion rates, sequester and enhance
soil organic carbon, and increase soil fertility over time compared to annual corn
grain production. For example, soil erosion when growing switchgrass was approx-
imately 30 times lower during the first year, and in the second and third years, soil
erosion was 600 times lower compared to soil erosion that typically occurs in
annual crops [ 130 ].
Conclusion
Herbaceous perennial grasses as lignocellulosic resources are a preferred feedstock
source for biofuels because they have a neutral carbon budget, require few agro-
nomic inputs, can be readily managed to be environmentally friendly, and have the
potential to be grown on a variety of lands, soils, and crop production situations.
Large regions of the Mountain West are dominated by cool-season grasses. These
cool-season perennial grasses could be a desirable source for biofuel production
because they can be grown on marginal lands with low water and fertilizer
requirements and on such land that does not otherwise compete with food/feed
crops. Basin wildrye, basin x creeping wildrye hybrids, intermediate wheatgrass,
and tall wheatgrass are considered to be viable candidates for lignocellulosic
biomass production.
Agronomic production of perennial grasses for biomass to date has largely been
at the pilot scale in many areas of the country. Crops and cropping systems needed
to produce low-input herbaceous perennial crops to support a bioenergy economy in
the Mountain West are essentially unknown. Identifying sufficient land area within
cost-effective distances to support year-round operation of a biorefinery is a sig-
nificant barrier to commercialization in many areas of the country including the
Mountain West. A variety of potential types of land that could be used for biomass
production are possible, but identifying and quantifying such land that is suitable
and available for biomass production will be challenging.
Stable energy prices are a critical component for maintaining a stable
macroeconomy, which presents both challenges and opportunities for developing