217-6 Can a Highly Diverse/Low Input System Provide Sufficient Biomass for Biofuel Production, Wildlife Habitat, and Quality Forage for Livestock?.



Tuesday, October 18, 2011: 3:35 PM
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Room 006C, River Level

Timothy Reinbott, Ray Wright and Robert Pierce, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
To meet federal mandates, millions of acres of existing crop land will potentially be devoted to biofuel production.  In addition, millions of acres that are currently in an existing stand of grass (i.e., enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program) have the potential to be converted to crop land.  Crops on many of these acres will be produced on marginal soils that are currently being used for livestock grazing and hay production.  Research continues to drive cellulosic biofuel production towards becoming economically feasible and a greater number of producers are considering the cultivation of switchgrass and certain non-native grasses for this purpose. However, research indicates that monoculture stands of native and non-native grasses provide little or no benefit for wildlife whereas, the food value of seeds produced by native forbs and legumes are superior to that of seeds produced by native perennial grasses and attract beneficial insects. Mixed stands of grasses, native forbs, and native legumes provide for a wider assortment of food and cover needs for a variety of species.  Recent research from Minnesota has found that mixed stands of grasses and forbs produced greater biomass for use as biofuels than monocultures.  In 2008, a study has been established at the University of Missouri Bradford Research and Extension Center near Columbia to provide agriculture producers interested in the economical production of biofuels with management alternatives that serve to enhance wildlife habitat and provide an alternative for livestock production.  In addition, native legumes may provide sufficient nitrogen to the system to reduce or eliminate the need for commercial nitrogen fertilizer.   The early July 2010  harvest indicated that mixed stands of grasses, forbs, and legumes produced as much biomass as the switchgrass monoculture.  However, biomass in the mixed forb and legume treatments were slightly less than the switchgrass monoculture in October.

 

See more from this Division: ASA Section: Land Management & Conservation
See more from this Session: Biofuel Research and Alternative Energy at Research Stations and Military Lands: I