Contact:
Name: Dr. Bill Deen
Ph: 519-824-4120 x 53397
Email: bdeen@uoguelph.ca
Researchers at the University of Guelph started conducting research on biomass crops about three years ago primarily focusing on perennial C4 grass species. “We selected these crops because they are perennial, have high yield potential and provide environmental benefits because of limited input use and no tillage,” explains Dr. Bill Deen, Associate Professor Cropping Systems. “The main crops include miscanthus, switch grass and native grasses such as big blue stem, little blue stem, prairie cord grass and Indian grass.”
Deen, along with collaborating University of Guelph researchers, has a number of trials established across Ontario to compare these various crops under different soil and climatic conditions. “We want to compare a range of crops side by side to evaluate yield, winter survival, nitrogen response, biomass properties, combustion qualities and impacts on soil,” says Deen. “We are also looking at harvest and handling options and in the future, storage requirements.” Project results are expected to be released in 2011.
So far, winter survival has been quite variable with some varieties performing very well and others showing winterkill and poor survival. A spring harvesting system is being used. Miscanthus is left to stand over winter and then cut and harvested in the spring. Switch grass and the native grasses are cut and windrowed in the fall and harvested in the spring by baling or using a forage harvester, depending on end use and transportation requirements. With spring harvest, nutrient concentrations and removal are much lower, and although yield may be slightly less, the biomass quality is much better and there are more environmental benefits to the system.
“There is interest in biomass crops from growers and commercial end users,” says Deen. “Although these materials have potential for a wide range of conversion processes from cellulosic ethanol, biodigestion, bioplastics and animal bedding, most of the current interest is for combustion purposes for heat or electricity. Power generators, the greenhouse and rural livestock industries and others are expressing interest and a number of growers have started looking quite seriously at biomass crops.” However, Deen notes that current policy provides incentive programs for a wide range of alternative energy projects, but to date not for biomass, so there continues to be some uncertainty in this market.
Assessing Biomass Crop Options
A switchgrass enterprise budget is available at:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/bear2000/Budgets/Crops/Forages/switchgrass_static.htm
There are pros and cons to growing the various biomass crops. With miscanthus, there is a tradeoff between high yield potential and higher upfront establishment costs. “Miscanthus, which is vegetatively propagated, is more expensive to get established and lacks genetic diversity within a clonal variety,” explains Deen. “Native grasses on the other hand are propagated by seed, cheaper to get established and have lots of genetic diversity. However the yield potential is lower.” Growers need to compare the options for cost versus yield versus benefits.
For crops like miscanthus and switchgrass, stands should persist for about 20 years, providing winterkill or other problems are avoided. Deen notes that if things have gone well in terms of management, variety selection and environment, then these stands should have a 60 to 75% stand yield potential in year 2 and approaching 90% stand potential in year 3 and full yield potential beyond.
http://www.uoguelph.ca/plant/faculty/bdeen/
http://www.reap-canada.com/library.htm
http://www.ontario-sea.org/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=903&SiteNodeID=201&BL_ExpandID=43
This article first appeared on Farmcentre.com and is the property of the Canadian Farm Business Management Council.