Parts of Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky named
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
New research conducted by the University of Illinois has identified regions in the United States that are ideal for growing bioenergy crops while still maintaining water quality and quantity.
Using detailed models, they examined the impacts on water and soil if existing crops were replaced by crops that can be used to produce ethanol.
Currently, corn is predominantly used to produce biofuels but research has proven that bioenergy grasses like Miscanthus and switchgrasses including Alamo and Cave-in-Rock can cause less nitrogen to be lost from rain or irrigation than corn.
The best regions to grow bioenergy grasses with respects to its impact on water are eastern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, and the northern Atlantic Regions.
The researchers also found that bioenergy crops perform best in regions with higher precipitation rates and are more likely to fail in areas with less frequent precipitation.
These bioenergy grasses also benefit from deep root systems, allowing them to access water and nutrients from deeper soil levels and to be more resilient during poor growing seasons.
Yang Song, a graduate student and the study’s lead author, said growing bioenergy grasses can help diminish nitrogen leaching across the U.S.