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Mississippi Feedstocks Research. Brian Baldwin Dept. of Plant and Soil Science. Focus Crops. Dry Harvested, truly deciduous Switchgrass Giant miscanthus (Mxg) – yields are twice swtg Wet harvested Sweet sorghum (sugar and bagasse) Energycane (some sugar and whole stalk) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Mississippi Mississippi Feedstocks Feedstocks ResearchResearch
Brian BaldwinDept. of Plant and Soil Science
Focus Crops• Dry Harvested, truly deciduous
– Switchgrass– Giant miscanthus (Mxg) – yields are twice swtg
• Wet harvested– Sweet sorghum (sugar and bagasse)– Energycane (some sugar and whole stalk)
• Inclusion of Mississippi cultivars– Napiergrass (elephantgrass) – de-emphasized
Giant Miscanthus18-20 T/A
Switchgrass7-10 T/A
Standability
Sweet sorghum8-12 T/A
Naipergrass0-19 T/A
Energycane5-23 T/A
End of Season Harvest2008
Tonn
age
Tons/A (front columns) Mg/ha (back columns)
Wood• Still the primary feedstock for existing and
new EtOH and syngas plants
• Can we provide grass between trees as they are regenerating (co-culture).– What are the potential effects on each crop?– What are the economics of the expected yield
compromise?
Establishment• Like real estate, its all about three things
– Establishment, establishment, establishment
• Need herbicides that work for switchgrass– pre- especially
• Need herbicides we can use in Mxg
Herbicide Resistance
Seed Safener
Low Seed Dormancy
Land Resources• Land for biomass crops will NOT come
from row crop land– Land will come from hill country where it can
serve as a (soil) conservation incentive
Land Resources– Land will come from CRP and pasture
• What will be the method of conversion?• Can we convert from existing CRP and pasture
land?• Develop establishment techniques to enable swtg
proliferation in mixed stands
Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
• Track N cycling in the plant
Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
• Associative dinitrogen fixation– Association of micro-organisms in and around the
crop roots
Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
• Winter legumes (perennial or annual) as a source of nitrogen• Must be timed with harvest
Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
• Organics/carbon sequestration over time
Use of By-products
• Char– Syngas and biooil plants getting 250,000 lbs
of feedstock a day will generate volumes of this.
• Will application to soil affect nutrient availability?• Can we create terra preta nova ?• Will it be advantageous?
Co-ordination with Feds.• DoE and its derivatives (INL, NREL, ORNL)
– Characterization of factors that affect quality of biomass
• Weathering effects on structural carbohydrates• Fertilizer source (esp Cl- and SO4
-2)• Soil type and luxury consumption of soil minerals• Species effects on structural carbohydrates
– Cultivar (esp. Forestburg)
• USDA (ARS and NRCS)