Biomass yield, nitrogen response, and nutrient uptake of perennial bioenergy grasses in North Carolina

Abstract Although perennial grasses show considerable potential as candidates for lignocellulosic bioenergy production, these crops exhibit considerable variation in regional adaptability and yield. Giant miscanthus ( Miscanthus  ×  giganteus Greef & Deuter), Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. ‘Gracillimus’ and MH2006, plume grass ( Saccharum arundinaceum Retz.), ravenna grass ( Saccharum ravennae (L.) L.), switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L. ‘Alamo’), and giant reed ( Arundo donax L.) field plots were established in 2008, treated with four nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates (0, 34, 67, 134 kg ha −1  y −1 ), and harvested annually in winter from 2008 to 2011. Giant reed, ‘Gracillimus’, switchgrass, MH2006, giant miscanthus and ravenna grass at the Mountain site produced mean dry matter yields of 22.8, 21.3, 20.9, 19.3, 18.4, and 10.0 Mg ha −1  y− 1 , respectively (averaged over the last two years). Dry matter yields at the Coastal site for giant reed, giant miscanthus, switchgrass, ravenna grass, and ‘Gracillimus’ were 27.4, 20.8, 20.1, 14.3, and 9.4 Mg ha −1  y −1 , respectively (averaged over the last two years). Increasing N rates up to 134 kg N ha −1 did not have a consistent significant effect on biomass production. High yields coupled with high mortality for plume grass at both sites indicates its potential as a bioenergy crop and need for continued improvement. Overall, the perennial grasses in this study had low nutrient removal, although giant reed and plume grass often removed significantly more N, P, K and S compared with Miscanthus spp. and switchgrass. Our results indicate that giant reed, giant miscanthus, and switchgrass are productive bioenergy crops across geographic regions of North Carolina.

[1]  A. Paterson,et al.  The Gene Pool of Saccharum Species and Their Improvement , 2013 .

[2]  Frederick Maurice Slater,et al.  Ground flora, small mammal and bird species diversity in miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteus) and reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea) fields , 2007 .

[3]  A. Mehlich,et al.  New buffer pH method for rapid estimation of exchangeable acidity and lime requirement of soils 1 , 1976 .

[4]  G. Bollero,et al.  The ecology and agronomy of Miscanthus sinensis, a species important to bioenergy crop development, in its native range in Japan: a review , 2009 .

[5]  F. Dohleman,et al.  Seasonal dynamics of above‐ and below‐ground biomass and nitrogen partitioning in Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum across three growing seasons , 2012 .

[6]  H. Zub,et al.  Agronomic and physiological performances of different species of Miscanthus, a major energy crop. A review , 2010, Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

[7]  Bryce J. Stokes,et al.  U.S. Billion-ton Update: Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry , 2011 .

[8]  Robert E. Perdue,et al.  Arundo donax—Source of musical reeds and industrial cellulose , 1958, Economic Botany.

[9]  F. Dohleman,et al.  Agronomic experiences with Miscanthus x giganteus in Illinois, USA. , 2009, Methods in molecular biology.

[10]  C. W. Wood,et al.  Impact of row spacing, nitrogen rate, and time on carbon partitioning of switchgrass , 2001 .

[11]  M. Shah,et al.  Phytoremediation potential of Arundo donax in arsenic-contaminated synthetic wastewater. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[12]  Simone Graeff-Hönninger,et al.  Long‐term yield and performance of 15 different Miscanthus genotypes in southwest Germany , 2012 .

[13]  W. A. Kenney,et al.  Wood feedstock qualities for energy conversion and the potential for their biological improvement , 1992 .

[14]  J. Juvik,et al.  The Gene Pool of Miscanthus Species and Its Improvement , 2013 .

[15]  D. Reheul,et al.  Soil biological quality after 36 years of ley-arable cropping, permanent grassland and permanent arable cropping , 2008 .

[16]  T. Voigt,et al.  Miscanthus × giganteus productivity: the effects of management in different environments , 2012 .

[17]  L. A. Kszos,et al.  Development of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a bioenergy feedstock in the United States. , 2005 .

[18]  Ilia J Leitch,et al.  The use of dna sequencing (ITS and trnL-F), AFLP, and fluorescent in situ hybridization to study allopolyploid Miscanthus (Poaceae). , 2002, American journal of botany.

[19]  J. Fike,et al.  The Biology and Agronomy of Switchgrass for Biofuels , 2005 .

[20]  Mark A. Liebig,et al.  Biomass and carbon partitioning in switchgrass. , 2004 .

[21]  J. Nippert,et al.  Ecotypic responses of switchgrass to altered precipitation. , 2012, Functional plant biology : FPB.

[22]  Stephen P. Long,et al.  Meeting US biofuel goals with less land: the potential of Miscanthus , 2008 .

[23]  A. Mehlich.  Mehlich 3 soil test extractant: A modification of Mehlich 2 extractant , 1984 .

[24]  Nasir El Bassam,et al.  Handbook of Bioenergy Crops: A Complete Reference to Species, Development and Applications , 2010 .

[25]  Enrico Bonari,et al.  Biomass yield and energy balance of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) cropped in central Italy as related to different management practices , 2005 .

[26]  I. Lewandowski,et al.  Comparing annual and perennial energy cropping systems with different management intensities , 2008 .

[27]  Fernando E. Miguez,et al.  Meta-analysis of the effects of management factors on Miscanthus × giganteus growth and biomass production , 2008 .

[28]  Mark E. Borsuk,et al.  Biomass Production in Switchgrass across the United States: Database Description and Determinants of Yield , 2010 .

[29]  Stephen P. Long,et al.  Seasonal dynamics of nutrient accumulation and partitioning in the perennial C4-grasses Miscanthus × giganteus and Spartina cynosuroides , 1997 .

[30]  B. Flinn,et al.  Growth promotion and colonization of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cv. Alamo by bacterial endophyte Burkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN , 2012, Biotechnology for Biofuels.

[31]  D. Walters,et al.  Switchgrass biomass production in the Midwest USA: harvest and nitrogen management. , 2002 .

[32]  Frederick Maurice Slater,et al.  Invertebrate populations in miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteus) and reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea) fields , 2007 .

[33]  D. G. Christian,et al.  Performance of 15 Miscanthus genotypes at five sites in Europe , 2001 .

[34]  T. Tew,et al.  Dry matter partitioning and quality of Miscanthus, Panicum, and Saccharum genotypes in Arkansas, USA. , 2009 .

[35]  A. Hartmann,et al.  Azospirillum doebereinerae sp. nov., a nitrogen-fixing bacterium associated with the C4-grass Miscanthus. , 2001, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[36]  Robert B. Mitchell,et al.  Heterosis in Switchgrass: Biomass Yield in Swards , 2008 .

[37]  K. Minamisawa,et al.  Novel Endophytic Nitrogen-Fixing Clostridia from the Grass Miscanthus sinensis as Revealed by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis , 2004, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[38]  John Clifton-Brown,et al.  Carbon mitigation by the energy crop, Miscanthus , 2007 .

[39]  M. Czakó,et al.  Defective development of male and female gametophytes in Arundo donax L. (Poaceae). , 2012 .

[40]  Richard N. Mack,et al.  Evaluating the Credits and Debits of a Proposed Biofuel Species: Giant Reed (Arundo donax) , 2008, Weed Science.

[41]  Jagadeesh Mosali,et al.  Switchgrass for forage and bioenergy: harvest and nitrogen rate effects on biomass yields and nutrient composition , 2011, Plant and Soil.

[42]  D. M. Burner,et al.  Biomass production of sugarcane cultivars and early-generation hybrids , 1995 .

[43]  D. G. Christian,et al.  The recovery over several seasons of 15N-labelled fertilizer applied to Miscanthus×giganteus ranging from 1 to 3 years old , 2006 .

[44]  A. Danin,et al.  Origin, diffusion and reproduction of the giant reed (Arundo donax L.): a promising weedy energy crop , 2010 .

[45]  John Clifton-Brown,et al.  Genotypic variation in cold tolerance influences the yield of Miscanthus , 2006 .

[46]  G. M. Prine,et al.  Biomass yield and composition, and winter survival of tall grasses in Alabama , 1991 .

[47]  Scott A. Staggenborg,et al.  Performance of Annual and Perennial Biofuel Crops: Nutrient Removal during the First Two Years , 2010 .

[48]  R. Daren Harmel,et al.  Clash of the Titans: Comparing Productivity Via Radiation Use Efficiency for Two Grass Giants of the Biofuel Field , 2011, BioEnergy Research.

[49]  John Clifton-Brown,et al.  Miscanthus : European experience with a novel energy crop , 2000 .

[50]  D. L. Price,et al.  Hierarchical classification of switchgrass genotypes using SSR and chloroplast sequences: ecotypes, ploidies, gene pools, and cultivars , 2011, Theoretical and Applied Genetics.

[51]  Evan H. DeLucia,et al.  Comparative Biogeochemical Cycles of Bioenergy Crops Reveal Nitrogen-Fixation and Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Miscanthus × giganteus Agro-Ecosystem , 2010, Ecosystems.

[52]  V. Owens,et al.  Management of Switchgrass-Dominated Conservation Reserve Program Lands for Biomass Production in South Dakota , 2006 .

[53]  R. K. Hubbard,et al.  Low-Input Production of Biomass from Perennial Grasses in the Coastal Plain of Georgia, USA , 2011, BioEnergy Research.

[54]  T. J. Butler,et al.  Biomass Yield and Nutrient Removal Rates of Perennial Grasses under Nitrogen Fertilization , 2011, BioEnergy Research.

[55]  William R Ocumpaugh,et al.  Biomass Production of ‘Alamo’ Switchgrass in Response to Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Row Spacing , 2001 .

[56]  John Clifton-Brown,et al.  Water Use Efficiency and Biomass Partitioning of Three Different Miscanthus Genotypes with Limited and Unlimited Water Supply , 2000 .

[57]  E. Ceotto,et al.  Shoot cuttings propagation of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) in water and moist soil: the path forward? , 2010 .

[58]  Robert B. Mitchell,et al.  Managing and enhancing switchgrass as a bioenergy feedstock , 2008 .

[59]  J. Machet,et al.  Nutrient requirements of Miscanthus x giganteus: Conclusions from a review of published studies , 2012 .