Publication Date
1997
Description
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm-season perennial grass indigenous to North and Central America with excellent potential as a bioenergy crop. Our objective was to develop management practices for switchgrass as a bioenergy crop. We determined the adaptability of several switchgrass cultivars and germplasms at five locations, and examined the response of ‘Alamo’ switchgrass to defoliation frequency, nitrogen and phosphorus fertility, and row spacing at two locations during 1992 to 1996. Alamo switchgrass was the highest yielding entry at all locations with yields of 8 to 20 Mg of dry biomass ha-1. Yield response of Alamo to N fertilizer was quadratic at Stephenville and linear at Beeville to the highest N rate used of 200 kg ha-1. There was a small response to 20 kg ha-1 of P2O5 in 1992 at Stephenville, but no response in later years or at Beeville. Increased row spacing did not increase switchgrass yield. Total seasonal yields are decreased as harvest frequency increases.
Citation
Sanderson, M A.; Reed, R L.; Hussey, M A.; Tischler, C R.; Read, J C.; and Ocumpaugh, W R., "Switchgrass Management for a Biomass Energy Feedstock in Texas" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1997-2023). 34.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session19/34
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Switchgrass Management for a Biomass Energy Feedstock in Texas
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm-season perennial grass indigenous to North and Central America with excellent potential as a bioenergy crop. Our objective was to develop management practices for switchgrass as a bioenergy crop. We determined the adaptability of several switchgrass cultivars and germplasms at five locations, and examined the response of ‘Alamo’ switchgrass to defoliation frequency, nitrogen and phosphorus fertility, and row spacing at two locations during 1992 to 1996. Alamo switchgrass was the highest yielding entry at all locations with yields of 8 to 20 Mg of dry biomass ha-1. Yield response of Alamo to N fertilizer was quadratic at Stephenville and linear at Beeville to the highest N rate used of 200 kg ha-1. There was a small response to 20 kg ha-1 of P2O5 in 1992 at Stephenville, but no response in later years or at Beeville. Increased row spacing did not increase switchgrass yield. Total seasonal yields are decreased as harvest frequency increases.
