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Assessing Productivity In Prairie Biomass Feedstocks With Different Levels Of Diversity, Alyssa Williams, Mark E. Sherrard
Assessing Productivity In Prairie Biomass Feedstocks With Different Levels Of Diversity, Alyssa Williams, Mark E. Sherrard
Research in the Capitol
High-diversity mixtures of tallgrass prairie vegetation provide many ecosystem services and could be effective biomass feedstocks for marginal farmland in Iowa. In this study, we measured productivity in four prairie biomass feedstocks with different diversity: 1, 5, 16, and 32 species. Each feedstock was replicated four times on three soil types (48 research plots, 0.33 – 0.56 ha each). For the past seven years, we have monitored productivity in these feedstocks by harvesting tissue from randomly selected quadrats. In addition to continuing the productivity survey, we examined the efficacy of remote sensing (NDVI) and leaf area index (LAI) imaging for …