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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Impact Of Switchgrass Bioenergy Feedstock Production On Soil Carbon Dioxide Flux And Below Ground Soil Organic Carbon Storage In East Tennessee, Leah Denise Soro Dec 2011

Impact Of Switchgrass Bioenergy Feedstock Production On Soil Carbon Dioxide Flux And Below Ground Soil Organic Carbon Storage In East Tennessee, Leah Denise Soro

Masters Theses

Bioenergy production from switchgrass has shown promise in restoring degraded soils and helping to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. CO2 loss and C-sequestration in soils are important topics for research to better understand the environmental impacts of bioenergy crops. The need for more thorough research of the carbon cycle in soils used for bioenergy production precipitated the primary interest of this study. The specific objectives of this study were 1) to measure SOC under switchgrass production in order to predict storage of carbon in soils based on previous cropping history, land management, soil physical characteristics, and time; and to …


Sp704-A Potential Impacts On Wildlife Of Switchgrass Grown For Biofuels, Craig A. Harper, Patrick D. Keyser Mar 2011

Sp704-A Potential Impacts On Wildlife Of Switchgrass Grown For Biofuels, Craig A. Harper, Patrick D. Keyser

Biofuels

Version 3.0


Sp701-B Using Switchgrass For Forage, Gary Bates, Pat Keyser, Craig Harper, John Waller Mar 2011

Sp701-B Using Switchgrass For Forage, Gary Bates, Pat Keyser, Craig Harper, John Waller

Biofuels

Version 2.0


Sp701-B Using Switchgrass For Forage, Gary Bates, Pat Keyser, Craig Harper, John Waller Mar 2011

Sp701-B Using Switchgrass For Forage, Gary Bates, Pat Keyser, Craig Harper, John Waller

Forages

Version 2.0


Carbon Exchange By Establishing Biofuel Crops In Central Illinois, Marcelo Zeri, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, George Hickman, Michael Masters, Evan Delucia, Carl J. Bernacchi Jan 2011

Carbon Exchange By Establishing Biofuel Crops In Central Illinois, Marcelo Zeri, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, George Hickman, Michael Masters, Evan Delucia, Carl J. Bernacchi

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Perennial grass bio-fuels may contribute to long-term carbon sequestration in soils, thereby providing a broad range of environmental benefits. To quantify those benefits, the carbon balance was investigated over three perennial grass bio-fuel crops – miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteus), switch-grass (Panicum virgatum) and a mixture of native prairie plants – and a row crop control (maize–maize–soy) in Central Illinois, USA, during the establishment phase of the perennial grasses (2008–2011). The eddy covariance technique was used to calculate fluxes of carbon dioxide and energy balance components, such as latent and sensible heat fluxes. Whereas maize attained the highest maximal …


Field-Scale Soil Property Changes Under Switchgrass Managed For Bioenergy, Marty R. Schmer, M. A. Liebig, K. P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell Jan 2011

Field-Scale Soil Property Changes Under Switchgrass Managed For Bioenergy, Marty R. Schmer, M. A. Liebig, K. P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The capacity of perennial grasses to affect change in soil properties is well documented but information on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) managed for bioenergy is limited. An on-farm study (10 fields) in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska was sampled before switchgrass establishment and after 5 years to determine changes in soil bulk density (SBD), pH, soil phosphorus (P), and equivalent mass soil organic carbon (SOC). Changes in SBD were largely constrained to near-surface depths (0–0.05 m). SBD increased (0–0.05 m) at the Nebraska locations (mean=0.16 Mgm-3), while most South Dakota and North Dakota locations showed declines …


Switchgrass Contains Two Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenases Involved In Lignin Formation, Aaron J. Saathoff, Christian M. Tobias, Scott E. Sattler, Eric J. Haas, Paul Twigg, Gautam Sarath Jan 2011

Switchgrass Contains Two Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenases Involved In Lignin Formation, Aaron J. Saathoff, Christian M. Tobias, Scott E. Sattler, Eric J. Haas, Paul Twigg, Gautam Sarath

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Lignin content of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a bioenergy species, is a critical determinant of biomass quality since it can negatively impact conversion of biomass into liquid fuels via biochemical platforms. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) is a key enzyme in lignin biosynthesis. Here, we have shown that cv. Kanlow switchgrass contains at least two closely related CAD genes (PviCAD1 and PviCAD2) that code for proteins containing highly conserved domains and residues that identify them as bona fide CADs. Both recombinant proteins displayed substrate kinetics consistent with their presumed role in cell wall lignification. Proteomic and immunoblotting detected …