Biofuel Feedstock Sweet Sorghum Response To Nitrogen On a Piedmont Soil.

To meet the ever increasing global demand for energy, it is essential to find alternate and renewable sources of energy.  Sweet Sorghum (SS) (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench Saccharatum Group) biomass production was evaluated on a piedmont soil for conversion to ethanol. The study was conducted in 2011 at the N C A & T State University Research farm in Guilford County N C.  The soil is a Mecklenburg sandy clay loam (Fine mixed active thermic Ultic Hapludalfs). Sweet sorghum requires less nitrogen (N) and water as compared to corn and has potential to produce more biomass and ethanol per acre. The objective of this study was to determine SS response to N fertilizer and yield of biomass. The experimental design was a strip plot with four replications, main plot factor variety (Dale and M81-E) and subplot factor fertilizer rates (0, 168-56-168, 84-28-84-soysoap, 168-56-168-soysoap of N-P2O5-K2O Kgha^-1). One-third of N and all of the P2O5 and K2O were applied at planting and the remaining two-thirds of the N was applied as side dress and incorporated 30 days after planting. All of the fertilizer treatments produced higher yields of tops fresh weight and cane fresh weight than the control (P= 0.05). Observed growth rates of sweet sorghum were greater in all fertilizer treatments compared to the control. The fresh cane yield with 84-28-84 (N-P2O5-K2O Kg ha^-1) + Soysoap was 41.9 tons ha^-1 and it was the highest yield recorded.