The 2008 Joint Meeting of the Society for Range Management and the America Forage and Grassland Council. |
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 9:00 AM
Switchgrass: An Economically Viable and Environmentally Sustainable Feedstock for the Central USA
Rob Mitchell, K.P. Vogel, G. Sarath, and M.R. Schmer. USDA-ARS, 362F Plant Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583
Perennial biofuel feedstocks must be economically viable and environmentally sustainable to become adopted in the central US. An important aspect of the economic viability of switchgrass for Bioenergy is establishing a stand that produces harvestable yield during the seeding year. On 10 farms in Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, pre-emergent herbicide application to control annual grasses in the establishment year had 36% less feedstock costs than fields with no herbicide treatment or only a broadleaf herbicide application. With good management, switchgrass can be near 50% full production 5 months after seeding and near full production 15 months after seeding in the central US. Switchgrass is productive on marginal land when properly managed, and had an average net energy value of 21.5 MJ/L. In a 5-year study comparing continuous no-till corn to switchgrass, the potential ethanol yield of switchgrass was equal to or greater than the total potential ethanol yield of corn grain and harvested stover. Based on more than 15 years of Bioenergy research, switchgrass is an economically viable and environmentally sustainable feedstock for biofuel production in the central USA.