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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Productivity Of Well-Watered Panicum Virgatum Does Not Increase With Co2 Enrichment, Philip A. Fay, H. Wayne Polley, Virginia L. Jin, Michael J. Aspinwall Oct 2012

Productivity Of Well-Watered Panicum Virgatum Does Not Increase With Co2 Enrichment, Philip A. Fay, H. Wayne Polley, Virginia L. Jin, Michael J. Aspinwall

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

Aims Rising atmospheric CO2 has been shown to increase aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) in water-limited perennial grasslands, in part by reducing stomatal conductance and transpiration, thereby reducing depletion of soil moisture. However, the benefits of CO2 enrichment for ANPP will vary with soil type and may be reduced if water limitation is low. Little is known about CO2 effects on ANPP of Panicum virgatum, a perennial C4 tallgrass and potential bioenergy crop. We hypothesized that if water limitation is minimized, (i) CO2 enrichmentwould not increase P. virgatum ANPP because photosynthetic rates of this C …


Farm-Scale Production Cost Of Switchgrass For Biomass, Richard Perrin, Kenneth P. Vogel, Marty Schmer, Robert B. Mitchell May 2012

Farm-Scale Production Cost Of Switchgrass For Biomass, Richard Perrin, Kenneth P. Vogel, Marty Schmer, Robert B. Mitchell

Richard K Perrin

The economic potential of cellulosic biomass from switchgrass has heretofore been evaluated using estimates of farm costs based on extrapolation from experimental data and budget estimates. The objective of the project reported here was to estimate the cost of production that would be experienced by farmers on commercial production situations. Switchgrass was produced as a biomass crop on commercial-scale fields by ten contracting farmers located from northern North Dakota to southern Nebraska. Results showed a wide range of yields and costs across the five production years and ten sites, with an overall average cost of $65.86 Mg-1 of biomass …


Prevalence And Behavior Of Blastobasis Repartella (Dietz) In Switchgrass, Krista Hegge Jan 2012

Prevalence And Behavior Of Blastobasis Repartella (Dietz) In Switchgrass, Krista Hegge

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is growing in recognition as a potential source for biomass. In order to use switchgrass optimally as a crop for biofuel production potential pests need to be detected and studied. Currently, one pest being studied is the stem-boring larva of the moth Blastobasis repartella. The objective of this experiment was to compare effects of larval feeding on rhizome buds for two cultivars of switchgrass, and to observe and document feeding behavior of the larva. The two cultivars of switchgrass used were Pathfinder (PTH), a lowland variety, and Sunburst (SBS), an upland variety. Six, 15-cm2 samples of rhizome …


The Effect Of Row Spacing And Seeding Rate On Biomass Production And Plant Stand Characteristics Of Non-Irrigated Photoperiod-Sensitive Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench), John L. Snider, Randy L. Raper, Eric B. Schwab Jan 2012

The Effect Of Row Spacing And Seeding Rate On Biomass Production And Plant Stand Characteristics Of Non-Irrigated Photoperiod-Sensitive Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench), John L. Snider, Randy L. Raper, Eric B. Schwab

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

To evaluate row spacing and seeding rate effects on yield and plant stand characteristics of high-biomass sorghum, a photoperiod-sensitive cultivar was sown at three different row spacings (76, 38, and 19 cm) and seeding rates (218,000, 306,000, and 393,000 seeds ha−1 for one site-year and 116,000, 204,000, and 291,000 seeds ha−1 for three site-years) from 2009 to 2010 in Alabama and Arkansas, USA. Measurements included above-ground dry matter production, plant height, stem density, and stem diameter. Narrower row spacing (i.e. 19 cm) produced the highest biomass for all site-years. Increasing seeding rate did not affect yield for three …