Ecological Impacts of Miscanthus x giganteus Production
Tom Voigt Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois
Friday, December 14, 12 Outline • Miscanthus x giganteus briefly. • M. x giganteus/Switchgrass Side- by-Side Studies. • Sun Grant/DOE M. x giganteus Nitrogen Fertility Studies. • EBI Studies • Invasiveness Studies
Friday, December 14, 12 Miscanthus x giganteus Briefly
• Rhizomatous, warm-season perennial. • Sterile triploid 3X (M sinensis [2X] x M. sacchariflorus [4X]) hybrid propagated asexually. • Photosynthesis occurs at temperatures as low as 54ºF. • Few known commercial pests or diseases • Low input, low maintenance • Appears to require cold weather for senescence. • Has survived -20°F air temperatures in central Illinois.
Friday, December 14, 12 M. x giganteus at UIUC
Friday, December 14, 12 Eastern US/Canada Side-by-Side Trials
Map: www.firstresearch.com Friday, December 14, 12 Eastern US/Canada Side-by-Side Trial Characteristics
Mean Latitude Annual Mean Annual Site (N) Longitude (W) Soil Temp (°C) Precip. (cm) IL 40.06 -88.19 silt loam 10.8 104.3 KY 38.12 -84.49 silt loams 12.9 116.6 LA 30.41 -91.10 silt 19.4 160.2 MI 42.39 -85.37 loam 8.9 89.3 MS 33.42 -88.79 fine sandy loam 16.8 140.8 loam & sandy loam NJ 40.46 -74.42 complex 11.4 123.9 OK 35.99 -97.04 fine sandy loam 15.2 93.2 ON 43.64, -80.41 clay loam 6.3 93.9 silty clay loam and SD 44.36 -96.79 silt loam complex 6.2 57.9
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Friday, December 14, 12 Yield Over 2010 and 2011 Varied By Location
** Species: p<0.0192 Loca on: p<0.001 ** Species × Loca on: p<0.001
** **
**
n/a
2012 Arundale U. of I. Ph.D. Dissertation 7
Friday, December 14, 12 Sun Grant/DOE Collaborative Sites
DOE
Friday, December 14, 12 Sun Grant/DOE Sites
• 12-10 m x 10 m plots with 100 plants on 1-m spacing. • 4 reps. • Annual N fertility treatments -1 Plot Layout (0, 60, 120 kg N ha ) using urea. • Plants in IL, KY, NE, and NJ planted in 2008 (75% IL replanted in 2009); VA planted in 2010.
Friday, December 14, 12 Sun Grant/DOE Site Characteristics Mean Mean Annual Annual Latitude Longitude Temp Precip. Site (N) (W) Soil (°C) (cm) silt loam & silty clay U. of IL 40.06 -88.19 10.8 104.3 loam U. of KY 38.12 -84.50 silt loams 12.9 116.6 U. of NE 41.17 -96.46 silt loam 9.8 70.4 Rutgers sandy U. 40.22 -74.24 loam 11.4 118.8 sandy
VA Tech 36.93 -79.39 loam 12.8 115.110
Friday, December 14, 12 2009 – 2011 Biomass Yields
2009 Yield 2010 Yield 2011 Yield Location (Dry Mg ha-1) (Dry Mg ha-1) (Dry Mg Nebraska 15.6 27.4 ha31.2-1) Illinois 3.0 15.6 20.6 Kentucky 17.1 19.0 19.0 New Jersey 16.9 9.7 18.6 Virginia - - 9.4
Friday, December 14, 12 2010 IL Sustainability Results
• N2O and CO2 greenhouse gas flux • Nitrate and ammonium leaching • N in harvested biomass
Friday, December 14, 12 Sun Grant/DOE - Illinois CO2 Results
Cumulative CO2 flux during 2009 and 2010
Cumulative CO2 Year Treatment (kg N ha-1) Flux (Mg-C ha-1)† 2009 0 8.62 ND 60 9.11 120 8.62 2010 0 8.90 ND 60 9.16 120 8.96 † Cumulative fluxes were calculated from measured fluxes corrected for temperature variations using
a Q10 = 2.
ND, means no difference among treatments within a given year (α = 0.05)
Friday, December 14, 12 DOE - Illinois Yield and Biomass Data
Treatment Yield Biomass N Year (kg N ha-1) (Mg ha-1) (kg ha-1) 2009 0 1.1 (0.7)ND 60 4.1 (3.7) 120 4.0 (2.2) 2010 0 14.9 (2.9)ND 44.9 (9.0)**
60 15.8 (1.8) 53.5 (5.3) 120 17.0 (1.4) 66.6 (1.3)
ND, means no difference among treatments within a given year (α = 0.05)
** Treatments are different within a given year (α = 0.01)
Friday, December 14, 12 IL Sustainability Conclusions
• 2009 biomass yields were low due to replanting previous crop failure; there were no differences
in N in harvested biomass, N2O flux, and
increased NO3- leaching.
• In 2010, N fertilizer applications did not increase biomass yields, but the 120 kg N ha-1 application did increase the amount of N removed
at harvest, increased the N2O flux, and
Friday, December 14, 12 Sun Grant/DOE
• Winterkill can be an issue during the first winter following planting. • Dry growing seasons have reduced M. x giganteus yields. • Through the first four growing seasons, there has not been a significant yield response to N. • When it is determined that M. x giganteus requires N fertilization, additional research will be required to fine-tune the N rates based on location and environment.
Friday, December 14, 12 Energy Biosciences Institute • On-Site and Off-Site Energy Grass Studies • Novel Woody Plants • SUNY Willows • U.S. Forest Service/Iowa St. U. and University of Minnesota Poplar Studies • Prairie Forbs
Friday, December 14, 12 EBI/UI Energy Farm Ecology Plots
Tallgrass prairie Cave-in-Rock switchgrass
Corn-corn-soybean Miscanthus x rotation giganteus
Friday, December 14, 12 2009 – 2011 EBI Energy Farm Ecology Plot Biomass Yields Biomass yields (Dry Mg ha-1) Liters ethanol ha-1
2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 M. x giganteus 1.3 11.0 11.9 494 4,180 4,522 P. virgatum 2.4 9.4 9.1 912 3,572 3,458 Tallgrass Prairie 2.3 6.1 3.4 874 2,318 1,292 Maize (grain) 9.5 8.8 3,879 3,621 Soybeans (grain) 2.8 94* *liters of biodiesel
Friday, December 14, 12 Potential Ecological Impacts of Agricultural Intensification: Invasiveness of Miscanthus Spp.
T. Voigt, B. Endres, L. Quinn, J. Barney (VA Tech)
Friday, December 14, 12 Project Objectives
• Identify initial Miscanthus spp. sold in U.S. • Describe naturalized Miscanthus spp. populations • Understand Miscanthus spp. seed biology • Relate naturalized Miscanthus spp. populations to ornamental Miscanthus
Friday, December 14, 12 Oldest Ornamental Types Offered by U.S. Nurseries
M. sinensis ‘Variegatus’, ‘Zebrinus’, ‘Gracillimus’, and M. sacchariflorus
Friday, December 14, 12 Variegated Miscanthus
Friday, December 14, 12 Zebra Grass Friday, December 14, 12 Maiden Grass Friday, December 14, 12 M. sacchariflorus
Friday, December 14, 12 Differences between M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus • M. sinensis – Miscanthus, Eulalia, Japanese Silver Grass – Clump former; variable height, leaf width, variegation, flowering period, cold hardiness
• M. sacchariflorus – Silver Banner Grass, Amur Silver Grass – Stout rhizomes and running habit forms
Friday, December 14, 12 Summer 2011
Lauren Quinn and Ryan Dougherty (M.S. student at Va. Tech.) sampled 21 escaped Miscanthus populations
Friday, December 14, 12 Natural/ Conservation Areas Heckscher State Park, NY
Transit Areas Quakertown, PA
Friday, December 14, 12 M. sacchariflorus Maine
Friday, December 14, 12 Plant Size & Phenotype
Heckscher, NY
Friday, December 14, 12 Striping from ornamental origins? Invasive Ornamentals?
Extremely wide, droopy leaves: Extremely thin, wiry another ornamental trait? leaves: another ornamental trait?
Friday, December 14, 12 Summer 2012
• Miscanthus sinensis sites visited again in 2012. • In 88% of the populations, there were found additional M. sinensis within a mile. • While this information cannot elucidate the source of the original invasion, it provides evidence that our sampled sites do not represent anomalous isolated populations, but instead exist in a landscape matrix that
Friday, December 14, 12 Where Should Miscanthus x giganteus Optimally Be Grown?
Friday, December 14, 12 Miscanthus x giganteus Sweet Spot
35 Map: www.firstresearch.com Friday, December 14, 12 Questions?
Tom Voigt ([email protected]) Friday, December 14, 12 37
Friday, December 14, 12