Carbon Dynamics Under Bioenergy Crop Production from Minesoil in Eastern Ohio.

Concerns of bioenergy crops competing for finite land and water resources can be resolved by using only high quality lands for food and feed production, and growing bioenergy crops with low inputs and drought tolerance on marginal lands. Marginal lands which are not under sustainable economical practices such as livestock production or provide essential habitat for wildlife use, may be underutilized when compared to the future economic potential under production of bioenergy crops. However, converting from grass forage production (mainly cool season perennial grasses) to bioenergy crop production (miscanthus and maize residue) can potentially cause losses in SOC stocks initially, and take several years before SOC stocks are restored. The so called C debt must be duly considered. The objectives of this study were to asses land use changes effects on quantity and quality of litter input and SOC concentration and pool size in minesoils.