|
|
||||||||
a USDA-ARS, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, Madison, WI 53706-1108
b Dep. of Plant Science, South Dakota State Univ., Brookings, SD 57006
* Corresponding author (mdcasler{at}facstaff.wisc.edu).
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a widely adapted warm-season perennial that has potential as a bioenergy feedstock. The objectives of this study were to estimate the effect of harvest date on switchgrass cultivars at two locations in the north central USA and to determine the relative importance of cultivar x environment interactions for agronomic and biofuel traits of switchgrass. Six switchgrass cultivars were grown in southern Wisconsin and eastern South Dakota for 4 yr and harvested each year at three harvest dates (August, September, and October). Cultivars differed widely in biomass yield, but interacted with all environmental factors. Biomass yield did not respond consistently to harvest date, varying with cultivar, location, and year. Despite these interactions, cultivar rankings for biomass yield was consistent across harvest dates and years, but not locations. There was some preferential adaptation to either Wisconsin or South Dakota, related to longitude of the original germplasm collection site, also reflected by ground cover data. Reduced stands and biomass yields for the August harvest date in later years suggested that harvests delayed to late summer or early autumn may be beneficial in the long term. Mean dry matter, forage fiber, and lignin concentrations also varied among cultivars, consistently across locations and years. These three traits all increased with later harvest consistently across locations and years, but inconsistently among cultivars. It should be possible, through selection and breeding, to develop switchgrass germplasm with increased fiber and decreased lignin and ash, increasing the availability of fermentable sugars and decreasing the unfermentable and/or incombustible residues.
Abbreviations: ADF, acid detergent fiber ADL, acid detergent lignin NDF, neutral detergent fiber SEP, standard error of prediction
Related articles in Crop Science:
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. Boe and D. L. Beck Yield Components of Biomass in Switchgrass Crop Sci., July 1, 2008; 48(4): 1306 - 1311. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. D. Casler, K. P. Vogel, C. M. Taliaferro, N. J. Ehlke, J. D. Berdahl, E. C. Brummer, R. L. Kallenbach, C. P. West, and R. B. Mitchell Latitudinal and Longitudinal Adaptation of Switchgrass Populations Crop Sci., November 7, 2007; 47(6): 2249 - 2260. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Boe and D. K. Lee Genetic Variation for Biomass Production in Prairie Cordgrass and Switchgrass Crop Sci., May 31, 2007; 47(3): 929 - 934. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Boe Variation between Two Switchgrass Cultivars for Components of Vegetative and Seed Biomass Crop Sci., March 1, 2007; 47(2): 636 - 640. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. R. Adler, M. A. Sanderson, A. A. Boateng, P. J. Weimer, and H.-J. G. Jung Biomass Yield and Biofuel Quality of Switchgrass Harvested in Fall or Spring Agron. J., October 3, 2006; 98(6): 1518 - 1525. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Boe and M. D. Casler Hierarchical Analysis of Switchgrass Morphology Crop Sci., October 27, 2005; 45(6): 2465 - 2472. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. K. Lee and A. Boe Biomass Production of Switchgrass in Central South Dakota Crop Sci., October 27, 2005; 45(6): 2583 - 2590. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. D. Berdahl, A. B. Frank, J. M. Krupinsky, P. M. Carr, J. D. Hanson, and H. A. Johnson Biomass Yield, Phenology, and Survival of Diverse Switchgrass Cultivars and Experimental Strains in Western North Dakota Agron. J., March 1, 2005; 97(2): 549 - 555. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. A. Cassida, J. P. Muir, M. A. Hussey, J. C. Read, B. C. Venuto, and W. R. Ocumpaugh Biomass Yield and Stand Characteristics of Switchgrass in South Central U.S. Environments Crop Sci., February 23, 2005; 45(2): 673 - 681. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. A. Cassida, J. P. Muir, M. A. Hussey, J. C. Read, B. C. Venuto, and W. R. Ocumpaugh Biofuel Component Concentrations and Yields of Switchgrass in South Central U.S. Environments Crop Sci., February 23, 2005; 45(2): 682 - 692. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. D. Casler Ecotypic Variation among Switchgrass Populations from the Northern USA Crop Sci., January 1, 2005; 45(1): 388 - 398. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| The SCI Journals | Agronomy Journal | Vadose Zone Journal | |||
| Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education |
Soil Science Society of America Journal | ||||
| Journal of Plant Registrations | Journal of Environmental Quality |
The Plant Genome | |||