Agronomic Aspects of Switchgrass Cultivation and Use for Energy Purposes

Abstract

The world's non-renewable energy resources continually decline and therefore there is an urgent need to seek and use any available renewable energy sources. An alternative to conventional fuels can be the usage of plant biomass for energy purposes. This particularly relates to plants with C4 photosynthesis, a large increase in biomass, low habitat requirements, and high resistance to diseases and pests. All these characteristics are met, among others, by switchgrass which in many countries occurs as a common wild plant. In agricultural production, switchgrass does not pose many agronomic problems; moreover, it is a very durable plant that can be used in one stand for even 10 years and can be grown in all soils, even contaminated ones. Effective use of switchgrass for bioethanol, biogas or syngas production provides measurable ecological benefits and in the long term offers a chance to maintain a sustainable national energy balance, given the continuously shrinking non-renewable fuel resources. Due to the multifaceted use of this plant and a number of features important from the point of view of the power generation industry, it is worth having a closer look at the possibility of spreading the cultivation of this species.

Effect of Biogas Digestate and Mineral Fertilisation on the Soil Properties and Yield and Nutritional Value of Switchgrass Forage

“…During the single harvest, there is a lower uptake of nitrogen and other nutrients with the harvested biomass, because after the end of the growing season, they are moved from the stems and leaves to the root system and can be used in the next year of cultivation [57]. Brodowska et al [3] reported that switchgrass uses K and P effectively. The reaction of the switchgrass to K and P fertilisation is dependent on the content of these elements in the soil.…”

“…The range of changes is determined by the elemental content of the digestate and the dose applied. The composition of the digestate depends on the substrates used for biogas production and the fermentation process [3,78,79]. It contains the biomass of methane fermentation microorganisms and non-fermented organic compounds and minerals.…”

“…One of these species is switchgrass. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennial plant of the C4 photosynthetic type, native to North America [2,3]. For more than 70 years it has been widely used in the US on the Great Plains and in the Midwest on pastures [4][5][6].…”

Possibilities of Using Fodder Galega in the Energy Sector and Agriculture

“…This is a perennial, leguminous plant (cultivation for even 16-18 years), rich in macro-and microelements. Biomass of the species can also be co-fired with coal (Brodowska et al, 2018).…”

Determination of the Silage Quality Characteristics of Different Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.) Cultivars

“…The studies carried out around the world mostly focused on the bioenergy value (Brodowska et al, 2018;Kimura et al, 2018), adaptation (Ma et al, 2011), morphological and biological properties (Brunken and Estes, 1975), forage yield (Wolf and Fiske, 1995;Kimura et al, 2018) and biomass yield (Sanderson et al, 1999;Piscioneri et al, 2001;Lemus et al, 2002;Kimura et al, 2018), genetics and genetic variation (Quinn, 1969;Hopkins et al, 1995Hopkins et al, , 1996Quinn and Wetherington, 2002) of switchgrass. There are very few studies on the silage and silage quality of switchgrass.…”