Biomass production from neglected and underutilized tall perennial grasses on marginal lands in India: a brief review

Understanding how the biomass production and clone growth of perennial grasses respond to summer warming is crucial for understanding how grassland productivity responds to global warming. Here, we experimentally investigated the effects of summer warming on the biomass production and clonal growth of potted Leymus chinensis in a phytotron. Summer warming significantly decreased the biomass of both parent and daughter shoots, slightly increased the belowground biomass, and lead to a significant increase in root : shoot ratio. Warming significantly increased the total belowground bud number and decreased the daughter shoot number. Importantly, the proportions of each type of bud changed; vertical apical rhizome buds decreased, while horizontal rhizome buds increased in number. The change in proportions of each type of bud is closely related to the decrease in daughter shoot number, rhizome number and length, as well as the decrease in aboveground biomass and increase in belowground biomass. These results indicate that, as a rhizomatous, perennial grass, L. chinensis adopts a selective growth strategy that reduces the energy allocated to aboveground growth and emphasises the development of belowground organs. The implication is that continued summer warming, will further reduce the aboveground biomass production of temperate grasslands dominated by rhizomatous, perennial grasses. Inevitably, species that depend on these grasses for forage will suffer should global climate warming continue.

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Managing competitive interactions to promote regeneration of native perennial grasses in semi-arid south-eastern Australia

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj16048 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 59

Author(s):

Ronald B. Hacker ◽

Ian D. Toole ◽

Gavin J. Melville ◽

Yohannes Alemseged ◽

Warren J. Smith

Keyword(s):

Weed Control ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Soil Nitrogen ◽

Perennial Grass ◽

Perennial Grasses ◽

Soil Nitrate ◽

Nitrogen Reduction ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Native Perennial Grass

Treatments to reduce available soil nitrogen and achieve specified levels of weed control were evaluated for their capacity to promote regeneration of native perennial grasses in a degraded semi-arid woodland in central-western New South Wales. Treatments were factorial combinations of nitrogen-reduction levels and weed-control levels. The four levels of nitrogen reduction were no intervention, and oversowing of an unfertilised summer crop, an unfertilised winter crop or an unfertilised perennial grass. The three weed-control levels were defined by the outcome sought rather than the chemical applied and were nil, control of annual legumes and control of all annual species (AA). Regeneration of perennial grasses, predominantly Enteropogon acicularis, was promoted most rapidly by the AA level of weed control with no introduction of sown species. Sown species negated the benefits of weed control and limited but did not prevent the regeneration of native perennials. Sown species also contributed substantially to biomass production, which was otherwise severely limited under the AA level of weed control, and they were effective in reducing soil nitrogen availability. Sown species in combination with appropriate herbicide use can therefore maintain or increase available forage in the short–medium term, permit a low rate of native perennial grass recruitment, and condition the system (by reducing soil mineral nitrogen) for more rapid regeneration of native perennials should annual sowings be discontinued or a sown grass fail to persist. Soil nitrate was reduced roughly in proportion to biomass production. High levels of soil nitrate did not inhibit native perennial grass regeneration when biomass was suppressed by AA weed control, and may be beneficial for pastoral production, but could also render sites more susceptible to future invasion of exotic annuals. The need for astute grazing management of the restored grassland is thus emphasised. This study was conducted on a site that supported a remnant population of perennial grasses. Use of the nitrogen-reduction techniques described may not be appropriate on sites where very few perennial grass plants remain.

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Biomass Production, Arbuscular Mycorrhizae and Soil Plant-available P under Water Stress in Native Perennial Grasses

Mycorrhizal Biotechnology ◽

10.1201/b10199-6 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

C Busso ◽

A Bolletta

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizae ◽

Perennial Grasses ◽

Available P ◽

Plant Available P

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Exploring the potential of wild perennial grasses as a biomass source in semi-arid Mediterranean environments

Italian Journal of Agronomy ◽

10.4081/ija.2018.937 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 103-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Javier Gulias ◽

Rita Melis ◽

Danilo Scordia ◽

Josep Cifre ◽

Giorgio Testa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Perennial Grass ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Net Photosynthesis ◽

Perennial Grasses ◽

Grass Species ◽

Marginal Lands ◽

Mediterranean Environments ◽

Wild Accessions ◽

Long Term Performance ◽

Term Performance

In Mediterranean environments, few perennial grass species are available for cultivation in rainfed systems and marginal lands, where plants with excellent adaptation are required. The aim of the present work was to determine the potentiality of five native Mediterranean perennial grasses for lignocellulosic biomass production. Wild accessions of three hemicryptophytes (Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, Hyparrhenia hirta, and Piptatherum miliaceum) and two geophytes (Saccharum spontaneum ssp. aegyptiacum and Sorghum halepense) were collected at three Mediterranean sites (Sicily, Sardinia and Majorca), and their morphological, physiological, productivity and quality traits were evaluated in the field. The species differed in height, with S. spontaneum and A. mauritanicus being the tallest. The leaf mass ratio ranged from 0.23 to 1.0 g g–1 among species. Maximum net photosynthesis was measured in the C4 species S. spontaneum and S. halepense (26.6 and 23.8 mmol CO2 m–2 s–1, respectively). A. mauritanicus showed the lowest transpiration rate and the highest instantaneous water use efficiency (2.7 mmol H2O m–2 s–1 and 6.9 mmol CO2 mmol H2O–1, respectively). S. spontaneum was the most productive species, yielding more than 18 Mg DM ha–1 as a three-year average. The highest content of acid detergent lignin was found in P. miliaceum, while A. mauritanicus was the species richest in hemicellulose and cellulose and poorest in ash. S. spontaneum showed the highest moisture content at harvest. Overall, the studied species showed interesting morphological, physiological, productive and qualitative traits. Nevertheless, additional research is necessary to investigate their long-term performance under different management strategies.

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Biomass production for bioenergy using marginal lands

Sustainable Production and Consumption ◽

10.1016/j.spc.2016.08.003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 3-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Muhammad Aamer Mehmood ◽

Muhammad Ibrahim ◽

Umer Rashid ◽

Muhammad Nawaz ◽

Shafaqat Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biomass Production ◽

Marginal Lands

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Assessment and quantification of marginal lands for biomass production in Europe using soil quality indicators

10.5194/soil-2018-14 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Werner Gerwin ◽

Frank Repmann ◽

Spyridon Galatsidas ◽

Despoina Vlachaki ◽

Nikos Gounaris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Renewable Resources ◽

Marginal Lands ◽

European Area ◽

Biomass Yields ◽

Potential Alternative ◽

Quality Rating ◽

Study Sites

Abstract. The cultivation of bioenergy plants at fertile, arable lands increasingly results in new land use conflicts with food production and cannot be considered as sustainable, therefore. Marginal lands have been frequently considered as potential alternative for producing bioenergy from biomass. However, clear definitions and assessment methods for selecting marginal lands and for calculating potentials are still widely missing. The project "SEEMLA" aims at triggering the exploitation of currently underused marginal lands for biomass production for energy purposes. Study sites have been selected in different European countries: Germany, Greece and Ukraine. The selected sites represent a wide variety of different types of marginal lands. Based on a soil assessment set given by the Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating (SQR) system potentially "marginal" sites have been investigated. The SQR system allows for clearly distinguishing between soils of higher and lower quality. Soils with SQR scores below 40 are regarded as "marginal". They can be classified into different groups with regard to the importance of soil hazard indicators as valuated by the SQR approach. The calculated SQR scores correlate significantly with biomass yields of bioenergy plants. Further, the SQR method was adapted for use in a GIS study on marginal land potentials in Europe. 46 % of the investigated European area could be classified as "marginal" with SQR scores below 40. From that area 22.6 % can be considered as potentially suitable for producing renewable resources after eliminating protected sites or other places not suitable for any kind of land use. Taking the ecological demands of selected bioenergy plants into account it is possible to give first preliminary recommendations for regional crop cultivation. It can be concluded, that Europe offers a large potential for renewable resources from marginal sites. However, the implementation into practice is often impeded by missing or varying policies and regulation. A proper implementation needs clear regulations and also incentives for farmers at European level.

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Influence of Species Composition and Management on Biomass Production in Missouri

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture10030075 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 75

Author(s):

Ranjith P. Udawatta ◽

Clark J. Gantzer ◽

Timothy M. Reinbott ◽

Ray L. Wright ◽

Robert A. Pierce Robert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biomass Production ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Perennial Grasses ◽

Biofuel Crops ◽

Species Mixture ◽

Biomass Yields ◽

Yield Difference ◽

Harvest Data ◽

Specific Species ◽

Cutting Height

Perennial biofuel crops help to reduce both dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions while utilizing nutrients more efficiently compared to annual crops. In addition, perennial crops grown for biofuels have the potential to produce high biomass yields, are capable of increased carbon sequestration, and are beneficial for reducing soil erosion. Various monocultures and mixtures of perennial grasses and forbs can be established to achieve these benefits. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of feedstock mixture and cutting height on yields. The base feedstock treatments included a monoculture of switchgrass (SG) and a switchgrass:big bluestem 1:1 mixture (SGBBS). Other treatments included mixtures of the base feedstock with ratios of base to native forbs plus legumes of 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, and 20:80. The study was established in 2008. Biomass crops typically require 2 to 3 years to produce a uniform stand. Therefore, harvest data were collected from July 2010 to July 2013. Three harvest times were selected to represent (1) biomass for biofuel (March), (2) forage (July), and (3) forage and biomass (October). Annual mean yields varied between 4.97 Mg ha−1 in 2010 to 5.56 Mg ha−1 in 2011. However, the lowest yield of 2.82 Mg ha−1 in March and the highest yield of 7.18 Mg ha−1 in July were harvested in 2013. The mean yield was 5.21 Mg ha−1 during the 4 year study. The effect of species mixture was not significant on yield. The cutting height was significant (p < 0.001), with greater yield for the 15 cm compared to the 30 cm cutting height. Yield differences were larger between harvest times during the early phase of the study. Yield difference within a harvest time was not significant for 3 of the 10 harvests. Future studies should examine changes in biomass production for mixture composition with time for selection of optimal regional specific species mixtures.

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