Advances in biotechnology and genomics of switchgrass

Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) is a C 4 perennial warm season grass indigenous to the North American tallgrass prairie. A number of its natural and agronomic traits, including adaptation to a wide geographical distribution, low nutrient requirements and production costs, high water use efficiency, high biomass potential, ease of harvesting ...

Comparative Study on Pretreatment Processes for Different …

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum, L., Poaceae) with the advantages of high cellulose yield, and high growth even under low input and poor soil quality, has been identified as a promising candidate for production of low-cost biofuels, papermaking, and nanocellulose.In this study, 12 chemical pretreatments on a laboratory scale were …

The 32 Best St. Louis Restaurants

You can smell the crimson-hued mapo tofu two tables away, its sauce aromatic with floral and citrus notes. And the tender dan dan egg noodles satisfy with a low, humming heat and perfect springy ...

The Switchgrass Microbiome: A Review of Structure, …

switchgrass as a bioenergy feedstock and as an ecological resto-ration agent capable of significant soil conservation and climate mitigation, it is important to understand switchgrass–microbiome interactions in both replete and stressful growing conditions. In addition, switchgrass's extensive genotypic and phenotypic vari-

Using Switchgrass for Forage

Keys to using switchgrass as a hay crop. Early-season production (late April–late May for switchgrass) pro-duces the highest-quality forage and can be easily utilized for hay. Crude protein levels may range from 14-20 percent at this time of year. How-ever, forage yields will be relatively low (e.g., two tons per acre, depend-ing on the ...

Gardening 101: Switchgrass

Keep It Alive. In addition to being ridiculously tolerant of different kinds of soil, switchgrass helps to restore damaged or contaminated areas (think strip mines). Plant in full sun for the most …

Net energy of cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass | PNAS

The NEV (output energy–input energy) from switchgrass in the Great Plains varied with year of production and ethanol yield but exceeded 14.5 MJ·liter −1 ethanol for all harvest years ( Fig. 3 a ). NEV were consistent across locations, averaging 21.5 MJ·liter −1 ethanol ( Fig. 3 a; see also SI Table 3 ).

Could a Legume–Switchgrass Sod-Seeding System Increase …

1. Introduction. Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass) is a multi-purpose perennial crop. It is mostly used for feed and biofuel production [1,2,3,4,5].It may also be used as a remediation plant [6,7,8] and is ideal for ground cover and wildlife refuge [].As a C 4 crop, switchgrass is characterized by high biomass production potential. Due to its perennial growth, apart …

Establishing and managing switchgrass

Establishment. Switchgrass has relatively small seed, averaging approximately 370,000 seeds per pound. The suggested seeding rate is 6 to 7 pounds of pure live seed when close-drilled (8 inches or less between rows) or broadcasted. Switchgrass should be planted in the spring after soil temperature is above 60ºF.

Switchgrass: A new cash crop for farmers in Chesapeake Bay area?

Contact him at 717-341-7270 or acrable@bayjournal. This article was provided by Bay Journal News Service. Switchgrass, a fast-growing native plant, has the potential to become a cash crop for ...

Management

A planting depth of ¼ to ½ inch is recommended. It is vital to not plant switchgrass seeds any deeper than ½ inch. The seeding rate for switchgrass is 5-6 lbs of pure live seed (PLS) per acre for forage and biomass crops. When planting for wildlife, reduce the seeding rate by 50-60% (i.e., 2 - 3 lbs PLS per acre).

Mystery solved: Why switchgrass takes the summer off

Berkley Walker's team in the plant biology department at Michigan State University has revealed why switchgrass stops performing photosynthesis in the middle of the summer—its growing season ...

Archive

This may be due to switchgrass's deep root system, reportedly up to 10 feet (3 meters), which is able to explore large amounts of soil for nitrogen (Parrish and Fike 2005). Fig. 2. Response of switchgrass variety Trailblazer (upland ecotype) to nitrogen fertilization in 2008. Letters above yield bars refer to total biomass for the full year ...

Development and field assessment of transgenic hybrid switchgrass …

Development of commercially relevant bioenergy switchgrass cultivars requires reducing recalcitrance for bioprocessing without compromising biomass yield. Low-lignin transgenic switchgrass has been produced via down-regulation of caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT), a lignin biosynthetic enzyme, or by over-expression of the …

Panicum virgatum

Panicum virgatum Botanical and Ecological Characteristics SPECIES: Panicum virgatum BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS: SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES: HABITAT …

Key switchgrass genes identified, which could mean better …

Could switchgrass help China's air quality? Sep 5, 2017. Mapping water management traits related to panic grass variants. Oct 27, 2014. Better switchgrass, better biofuel. Jun 18, 2015.

Energies | Free Full-Text | Switchgrass and Giant Reed …

The cultivation of energy crops on degraded soils contributes to reduce the risks associated with land use change, and the biomass may represent an additional revenue as a feedstock for bioenergy. Switchgrass and giant reed were tested under 300 and 600 mg Cr kg−1, 110 and 220 mg Ni kg−1, and 4 and 8 mg Cd kg−1 contaminated …

Fields of Breeders' Dreams: A Team Effort Toward …

The use of switchgrass as a feedstock for biomass-based fuels was initially fostered by DOE's Bioenergy Research Centers, which initiated the sequencing of the switchgrass genome. DOE's Billion Ton …

Switchgrass may unlock the future of biofuel

Switchgrass is an attractive biofuel feedstock because it can grow on marginal lands of little agricultural value. It also requires less chemical fertilizer than corn, the dominant source of ...

Switchgrass for a bioenergy crop and livestock feed

Harvest two to three weeks after a killing frost. Moisture content of switchgrass should be 15% or less for bioenergy crop. Finish cultural weed control before switchgrass is 12 inches high. Leave a 6-inch stubble when harvested to protect crown and lower stem, collect snow, and provide birds' habitat. Based on a four-year research trial …

The Evolution of Switchgrass as an Energy Crop

The volume of work on switchgrass is still very small compared to many other crops. For example, canvassing CAB Direct for citations in 1940 produces 713 hits for Zea mays, 395 for Avena sativa (oats), and only six for Panicum virgatum.The number of publications in 2010 indexing to switchgrass is 165, but that barely outdistances the …

EMERGING MARKETS FOR SWITCHGRASS IN THE US …

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is one of several perennial warm season grasses that grow naturally in North America (Vogel et al., 2014). CenUSA's 'Germplasm to Harvest' objectives centered around the development of new and improved switchgrass cultivars, optimizing the production systems of these

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

switchgrass seedlings have approximately four to fi ve leaves is the most cost-eff ective method for controlling broadleaf weeds in switchgrass fi elds. 7. Atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] has improved switchgrass establishment by controlling broadleaf weeds and cool-season grassy weeds, 21,22

Integrated Management Practices for Establishing Upland Switchgrass …

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm-season (C 4) perennial grass with a fibrous root system.It is native to North America and has been grown for hay, forage and biofuel purposes [1,2].After establishment, switchgrass is a high-yielding and self-sustaining bioenergy crop [3,4]; however, switchgrass establishment is often …

Simulating switchgrass aboveground biomass …

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a herbaceous perennial grass that can be used as bedding for livestock, planted in buffer strips, and used as biofuel, but it is still not widely grown in eastern …

Switchgrass Genomic Diversity, Ploidy, and Evolution: Novel …

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennial grass that has been designated as an herbaceous model biofuel crop for the United States of America.To facilitate accelerated breeding programs of switchgrass, we developed both an association panel and linkage populations for genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic …

USDA ARS Online Magazine Vol. 62, No. 7

The team determined that despite switchgrass's renown as a prairie dweller, the primary center of origin for modern switchgrass was along the eastern Gulf Coast between 1 and 1.5 million years ago. A less significant center of origin and diversity was located along the western Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, a western mountain ecotype became the ...

When to Plant Switchgrass for Successful Growth

Suppose you have a switchgrass that is 97% pure with a germination rate of 80%; the grass's PLS would be: 97 x 80 / 100 = 77.6%. If your planting involves a switchgrass seed 50 lb bag, you can expect 38.8 pounds of the seeds to …

Review: 'Midnight in the Switchgrass,' starring Megan Fox, Bruce …

The movie's title refers to a switchgrass field in Florida where the killer keeps some of his victims captive in a hidden storm tunnel. Switchgrass is also mentioned as a place where one of the serial killer's murder victims used to hide as a child to escape from an abusive father. The movie takes place mostly in Florida's Pensacola area ...

Are you growing switchgrass or miscanthus?

It seems like every month I discover a Michigan farmer who is growing switchgrass or miscanthus. This seems to be one of Michigan agriculture's best kept …

What is Switchgrass? — Switchgrass

Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) is one of many warm-season perennial grasses native to North America. It is a natural component of the tallgrass prairie, which covered most of …

Switchgrass as a biofuels feedstock in the USA

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum; Poaceae) has attracted attention as a biofuel feedstock because it is a perennial C4 photosynthetic plant with high cellulosic content, which thrives on land of ...

Soil Origin and Plant Genotype Modulate Switchgrass …

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a model perennial grass for bioenergy production that can be productive in agricultural lands that are not suitable for food production.There is growing interest in whether its associated microbiome may be adaptive in low- or no-input cultivation systems. However, the relative impact of plant genotype …

Growing Switchgrass

We round up the super hardy perennials you need to grow. Switchgrass is an upright prairie grass that produces feathery delicate flowers from July to September. There are several …

Frontiers | High-Throughput Switchgrass …

Introduction. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a native North America prairie grass that has been studied as a potential bioenergy crop in the United States and Europe since the mid-1980s (Lewandowski …

All Issues

California Agriculture - All Issues. One of the leading candidates among bioenergy grasses is switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) (Parrish and Fike 2005; Pedroso et al. 2011).Switchgrass is a perennial warm-season (C4) bunchgrass native to most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, where it was historically a major component …

NEWBio Energy Crop Profile: Switchgrass

Switchgrass is a hardy deep-rooted perennial grass that grows as high as 6 feet and can produce an annual crop for up to 20 years. Switchgrass does well on a wide variety of soil types, including wet, shallow, or rocky soils, and is drought tolerant. Its deep roots can break through tough soil layers, improving long-term soil structure.

Switch grass | The Morton Arboretum

Switch grass is one of the grasses of the tallgrass prairie and is native to much of North America. When in seed, the plant has a light airy appearance despite its tall stature. This species is native to the Chicago region according to Swink and Wilhelm's Plants of the Chicago Region, with updates made according to current research.

Establishing and Managing Switchgrass – Team Forage

Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum) is a vigorous warm season, native perennial grass adapted to Wisconsin and planted for many purposes including livestock grazing, wildlife cover, …

Identifying Switchgrass, a warm-season grass | Illinois …

Switchgrass can be found in almost every county in Illinois, in prairies, savannas, and bluff habitats. It is a bunchgrass that grows to about 6 feet in height. Switchgrass has a dense collection of hairs at the base of its leaf blades. I learned it as having a triangular shaped cluster of hairs, but sometimes it's a stretch to see that ...