The potential for dedicated energy crops to further energy security and environmental sustainability goals depends on their ability to generate farm income. Despite the best intentions of policymakers, realization of these broader goals will fall short without market incentives that make energy crop plantings economically competitive with alternative farm enterprises.
There are a number of crops suggested as feedstocks for bioenergy production, and selection will be determined by the location, sustainability criteria and biorefinery type. The crops are typically divided into herbaceous crops and short-rotation woody crops. Herbaceous crops are further divided into annual and perennial crops. Annual crops including sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and forage sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.) are frequently mentioned candidates for the Southeast, as are perennial grasses such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus). Short-rotation woody crops that have been suggested for the Southeast include poplars, sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.), black locust (Robinia psuedoacacia L.) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) [58].
After extensive research funded by the DOE, switchgrass was selected as a model biomass feedstock [22, 41, 80]. This was based in part on high biomass yields and low input requirements. Switchgrass also provides ecosystem services such as soil conservation through decreased erosion and climate regulation through carbon sequestration. However, whether these attributes are sufficient to earn switchgrass a place among current farm enterprises across the nation remains uncertain.
Download the tables from Chapter 16.
Table of Contents
- Author and Contributor List
- Foreword
- Chapter 1: Introduction to Conservation Tillage Systems
- Chapter 2: Conservation Tillage Systems: History, the Future and Benefits
- Chapter 3: Benefits of Increasing Soil Organic Matter
- Chapter 4: The Calendar: Management Tasks by Season
- Chapter 5: Cover Crop Management
- Chapter 6: In-Row Subsoiling to Disrupt Soil Compaction
- Chapter 7: Cash Crop Selection and Rotation
- Chapter 8: Sod, Grazing and Row-Crop Rotation: Enhancing Conservation Tillage
- Chapter 9: Planting in Cover Crop Residue
- Chapter 10: Soil Fertility Management
- Chapter 11: Weed Management and Herbicide Resistance
- Chapter 12: Plant-Parasitic Nematode Management
- Chapter 13: Insect Pest Management
- Chapter 14: Water Management
- Chapter 15: Conservation Economics: Budgeting, Cover Crops and Government Programs
- Chapter 16: Biofuel Feedstock Production: Crop Residues and Dedicated Bioenergy Crops
- Chapter 17: Tennessee Valley and Sandstone Plateau Region Case Studies
- Chapter 18: Southern Coastal Plain and Atlantic Coast Flatwoods Case Studies
- Cash Crop Selection and Crop Rotations
- Specific Management Considerations
- Case Study Farms
- Producer Experiences
- Transition to No-Till
- Changes in Natural Resources
- Changes in Agricultural Production
- Specialty Crops
- Why Change to No-Till?
- Supporting Technologies and Practices
- The Future
- Research Case Study
- Summary
- Chapter 19: Alabama and Mississippi Blackland Prairie Case Studies
- Chapter 20: Southern Piedmont Case Studies
- Appendix
- Glossary
- References