Yield and Nitrogen Removal of Bioenergy Grasses as Influenced by Nitrogen Rate and Harvest Management in the Coastal Pla
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Yield and Nitrogen Removal of Bioenergy Grasses as Influenced by Nitrogen Rate and Harvest Management in the Coastal Plain Region of North Carolina Zan Wang 1 & T. Jot Smyth 1 & Carl R. Crozier 2 & Ronald J. Gehl 3 & Adam J. Heitman 1
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2017
Abstract The agronomic performances of giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) grown as bioenergy grasses are still unclear in North Carolina, due to a relatively short period of introduction. The objectives of the study were to compare the biomass yield and annual N removal of perennial bioenergy grasses and the commonly grown coastal bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], and to determine the optimum N rates and harvest practices for switchgrass and miscanthus. A 4-year field trial of the grasses under five annual harvest frequencies (May/Oct, June/Oct, July/Oct, Aug/Oct, and October only) and five annual N rates (0, 67,134, 202, and 268 kg N ha−1) was established at a research farm in Eastern North Carolina in 2011. Across harvest treatments and N rates, greatest biomass was achieved in the second growth year for both miscanthus (19.0 Mg ha−1) and switchgrass (15.9 Mg ha−1). Grasses demonstrated no N response until the second or the third year after crop establishment. Miscanthus reached a yield plateau with a N rate of 134 kg ha−1 since achieving plant maturity in 2013, whereas switchgrass demonstrated an increasing fertilizer N response from 134 kg N ha−1 in the third growth year (2014) to 268 kg N ha−1 in the fourth growth year (2015). The twocut harvest system is not recommended for bioenergy biomass
* T. Jot Smyth [email protected]
1
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, Box 7620, Raleigh, NC 27695-7620, USA
2
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, VG James Research and Extension Center, 207 Research Station Rd, Plymouth, NC 27692, USA
3
Dupont Pioneer, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
production in this region because it does not improve biomass yield and increased N removal leads to additional costs. Keywords Biomass yield . Harvest frequency . Switchgrass . Miscanthus
Introduction Production of cellulosic biofuels from plant biomass could reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) are emerging as dedicated energy crops due to high biomass yield and low fertilizer requirements [3, 11, 18–20]. Water availability is considered a key factor limiting yield of these grasses [18]. The North Carolina Coastal Plain region lies within a humid, temperate area, which has the potential to produce high biomass yield for bioenergy grasses with proper harvesting and nutrient management. Currently, hay production from coastal bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] is an important part of the local agriculture. Since grasses used for hay and biofuel production share similarities in methods of planting and harvesting, farmers could diversify or alternate their production systems with bioenergy g
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