Spectral Responses Of Biomass Feedstock From CRP Land Affected By N Management and Harvest Timing.

Biomass from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land may be used as biofuel feedstock. Yield, species and chemical compositions of the biomass from CRP land varied greatly temporarily and spatially. This study investigated the biomass yield, species contribution to total biomass yield, and chemical composition of the biomass from CRP land in related to spectral responses, as affected by N application and harvest time. The study was conducted on a CRP land in central Montana, with three N application rates and two harvest timings, and the treatments were replicated three times. Biomass samples were clipped from six quadrates of each plot at booting, peak growth, and dormancy stages. Biomass yield, species contribution to total biomass, and chemical composition of each species were analyzed. Prior to biomass harvest, each quadrate was scanned with a spectral scanner. Spectral responses in relation to biomass yield, species composition, and chemical content were analyzed.