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Mississippi Feedstocks Research

Mississippi Feedstocks Research Brian Baldwin Dept. of Plant and Soil Science Focus Crops Dry Harvested, truly deciduous Switchgrass Giant miscanthus (Mxg) – yields are twice swtg Wet harvested Sweet sorghum (sugar and bagasse) Energycane (some sugar and whole stalk)

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Mississippi Feedstocks Research

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  1. Mississippi Feedstocks Research Brian Baldwin Dept. of Plant and Soil Science

  2. Focus Crops • Dry Harvested, truly deciduous • Switchgrass • Giant miscanthus (Mxg) – yields are twice swtg • Wet harvested • Sweet sorghum (sugar and bagasse) • Energycane (some sugar and whole stalk) • Inclusion of Mississippi cultivars • Napiergrass (elephantgrass) – de-emphasized

  3. Switchgrass 7-10 T/A Giant Miscanthus 18-20 T/A

  4. Standability

  5. Sweet sorghum 8-12 T/A Naipergrass 0-19 T/A Energycane 5-23 T/A

  6. End of Season Harvest2008 Tonnage Tons/A (front columns) Mg/ha (back columns)

  7. Wood • Still the primary feedstock for existing and new EtOH and syngas plants • Can we provide grass between trees as they are regenerating (co-culture). • What are the potential effects on each crop? • What are the economics of the expected yield compromise?

  8. Establishment • Like real estate, its all about three things • Establishment, establishment, establishment • Need herbicides that work for switchgrass • pre- especially • Need herbicides we can use in Mxg

  9. Low Seed Dormancy Herbicide Resistance Seed Safener

  10. Land Resources • Land for biomass crops will NOT come from row crop land • Land will come from hill country where it can serve as a (soil) conservation incentive

  11. Land Resources • Land will come from CRP and pasture • What will be the method of conversion? • Can we convert from existing CRP and pasture land? • Develop establishment techniques to enable swtg proliferation in mixed stands

  12. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs • Track N cycling in the plant

  13. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs • Associative dinitrogen fixation • Association of micro-organisms in and around the crop roots

  14. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs • Winter legumes (perennial or annual) as a source of nitrogen • Must be timed with harvest

  15. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs • Organics/carbon sequestration over time

  16. Use of By-products • Char • Syngas and biooil plants getting 250,000 lbs of feedstock a day will generate volumes of this. • Will application to soil affect nutrient availability? • Can we create terra preta nova ? • Will it be advantageous?

  17. Co-ordination with Feds. • DoE and its derivatives (INL, NREL, ORNL) • Characterization of factors that affect quality of biomass • Weathering effects on structural carbohydrates • Fertilizer source (esp Cl- and SO4-2) • Soil type and luxury consumption of soil minerals • Species effects on structural carbohydrates • Cultivar (esp. Forestburg) • USDA (ARS and NRCS)

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