Bioenergy Crop Improvement
Bioenergy Information and Economic Analysis
Our bioenergy crop
research is part of the Chariton
Valley RC&D effort in southern
2002 Final Report
2001 Final
Report ~ 2000 Final
Report
The research projects that we are conducting include:
I. Economic
potential of switchgrass as an agronomic crop for bioenergy
(Mike Duffy in Ag
Economics)
1. Document on-farm costs and resource commitments for switchgrass
production
2. Assess regional economic impacts of large-scale
switchgrass production
3.
Quantification of energy consumption for switchgrass production
II. Switchgrass
production in relation to soil variability and environmental quality (Lee Burras and Charlie Brummer)
1 Landscape
and nitrogen effects on switchgrass production potential.
2.
Quantification of soil properties and their relation to switchgrass yield and
quality, and assessment of the erosion potential in switchgrass fields
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Mowing switchgrass N fertility plots |
Lee and Mike inspect the fertility plot harvest |
Soil sampling prior to establishment |
Gully formation in established switchgrass fields (that's Lee hiding) |
III. Evaluate
and develop switchgrass and reed canarygrass germplasm for bioenergy
production and adaptation to
1. Switchgrass cultivar evaluation for yield and biofuel
quality
2.1. Evaluation of harvest management and
varietal performance of reed canarygrass
for biofuel
2.2. Evaluate diverse reed canarygrass
germplasm and begin breeding new cultivars for bioenergy uses (In collaboration with Dr. Mike Casler,
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Switchgrass variety trial at |
Mike and Charlie in front of taller lowland and shorter upland cultivars |
Upland cultivars with thin stems (left) and lowland with thick stems (right) |
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Reed canarygrass
variety and cutting management trial at |
One wild reed canarygrass
population collected in central |
Evaluation of the USDA reed canarygrass germplasm nursery
at |
