Strategic use of native species on environmental gradients increases diversity and biomass relative to switchgrass monocultures

Zilverberg, Cody J.; Teoh, Kwan; Boe, Arvid; Johnson, William C.; Owens, Vance N.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.09.006

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For cup plant to be a viable biomass crop in the northern Great Plains, in monoculture or mixtures, control of the cup plant moth is paramount [18]. Interestingly, also in 2013, this same population of cup plant produced > 20 Mg•ha −1 in monoculture and in a binary mixture with prairie cordgrass 35 km from the experimental sites in the present study [1]. The cup plant moth did not occur at that location.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

“…Enhancing the utilization of these marginal lands through growing adapted perennial plants will greatly benefit farmers economically and provide environmental benefits, as well. Dedicated herbaceous perennial biomass production systems on marginal cropland may increase yield, reduce inputs, and provide increased ecological goods and services over monocultures or mixtures of perennial grasses, if forbs are included in a mixture [1]. Species of Silphium are receiving recent global attention for new multi-purpose crops, including forage [2] [3], biomass [4], remediation, and pollinator-attracting functions [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Growing binary mixtures of perennial warm-season grasses and legumes has been shown to improve forage production and quality [13]. A recent study demonstrated that monocultures or binary mixtures of native plant species with switchgrass, when appropriately matched to their natural landscape positions, produced biomass in equal or greater amounts than switchgrass monocultures [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Biomass Production of Monocultures and Mixtures of Cup Plant and Native Grasses on Prime and Marginal Cropland

Boe¹,

Albrecht²,

Johnson³

et al. 2019

AJPS

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To date, most candidate systems for producing herbaceous cellulosic biomass have been composed of monocultures of perennial or annual grasses. Ecosystem goods and services provided from these biomass feedstock production systems could be increased dramatically with mixing of one or more forb species that would increase biodiversity and provide habitat for pollinators. Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is featured with many desirable characteristics, such as high biomass potential, adaptation to marginal soils, and attractiveness to pollinators, desirable in a dicot species to grow in mixtures with perennial warm-season grasses. The objective of this study was to compare cup plant, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link) monocultures to their mixtures for biomass production on prime and poorly drained marginal crop land for two years in both South Dakota and Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, monocultures of prairie cordgrass and cup plant and their mixture produced more biomass (8.1 Mg•ha −1) than the switchgrass monoculture and switchgrass/cup plant mixture (5.3 Mg•ha −1) on both prime and marginal land. While in South Dakota, drought and meristem destruction by the cup plant moth (Eucosma giganteana Riley) caused large reductions in biomass production (1.7 Mg•ha −1) in both years, with the switchgrass/cup plant mixture on marginal land having the highest yield (2.1 Mg•ha −1). Our study showed binary mixtures of cup plant and native warm-season grasses have great potential for increasing biodiversity and other ecosystem goods and services, relative to monocultures, for sustainable biomass feedstock production on poorly drained marginal land in the northcentral USA.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Biomass Production of Monocultures and Mixtures of Cup Plant and Native Grasses on Prime and Marginal Cropland

Boe¹,

Albrecht²,

Johnson³

et al. 2019

AJPS

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among US native perennials, the C 4 grass switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) was one of the first species identified by the US Department of Energy as a promising biomass crop, largely due to its broad ecological adaptation and high yield potentials (Parrish and Fike, 2005).While switchgrass and other bioenergy grass monocultures can provide large quantities of biomass and a variety of ecosystem services, incorporating plant diversity into perennial biomass cropping systems https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2018.08.009 Received 1 May 2017; Received in revised form 31 July 2018; Accepted 29 August 2018 can further improve ecosystem services such as the provisioning of forage and fuel, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem stability (Tilman et al, 2006;Isbell et al, 2015;Zilverberg et al, 2016). One major challenge to using native perennials is their slow establishment, as it may take up to three years for a stand to fully mature (McLaughlin and Kszos, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perennial biomass crop establishment, community characteristics, and productivity in the upper US Midwest: Effects of cropping systems seed mixtures and biochar applications

Fidel

Banik

Laird

et al. 2018

European Journal of Agronomy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Native perennial plants have potential as bioenergy feedstocks, but their use is currently limited by relatively long establishment times and low biomass yields. Some research suggests that incorporating plant species diversity and applying biochar as a soil amendment might alleviate these limitations by creating a more resilient crop and soil system. The objective of this research was to investigate how 1) seeded plant diversity and 2) biochar soil amendments interact to affect the establishment, yield, and plant species composition of biomass cropping systems during the first four years of growth on productive soils. We measured species emergence, cover, peak and post-frost biomass, and biomass composition for three biomass cropping systems seed mixtures-a switchgrass monoculture, a three-species grass mixture, and a highly diverse mixture of grasses and forbs-either with or without application of a mixed wood gasification biochar (9.3 Mg ha−1). We found that seed mixture had significant effects on nearly every variable measured, with switchgrass monocultures outperforming the two more diverse mixtures by the third year of the experiment (12.0 Mg ha−1 in switchgrass, 8.7 Mg ha−1 in low diversity plots, and 3.9 Mg ha−1 in high diversity plots), despite an initial switchgrass establishment failure. The high diversity plots exhibited poor sown species establishment in the first year due to high weed pressure in a drought year, but continued to improve over time. Biochar application had no consistent effect on plant biomass or community traits, and significantly affected only two community traits, light transmittance and leaf area index. Our results suggest that on productive soils perennial bioenergy productivity may be achieved through selection of one or a few high-yielding grass species, with little or no effect of biochar applications on perennial biomass crop establishment, diversity, or productivity.

show abstract

“…Several Silphium species can be found in the prairies of North America from the Rocky Mountains eastward to Appalachia, and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Extensive research on S. perfoliatum over three decades in Russia, Europe and the United States has shown its potential as a bioenergy crop (Gansberger, Montgomery, & Liebhard, ; Lehmkuhler, Ramos, & Albrecht, ; Stanford, ; Zilverberg, Teoh, Boe, Johnson, & Owens, ). Similarly, recent studies on S. integrifolium have revealed its potential as an oilseed crop (Kowalski & Wiercinski, ; Van Tassel, Asselin, Cox, Sideli, & Cattani, , ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pest potential of Neotephritis finalis (Loew) on Silphium integrifolium Michx., Silphium perfoliatum L., and interspecific hybrids

Reinert¹,

Hulke

Prasifka

2020

Agronomy Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Neotephritis finalis (Loew), a fly known as a minor pest of cultivated sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.), has been observed to attack Silphium spp., which are being evaluated as new crops to produce biomass or edible oil. Infestations of Silphium integrifolium Michx., Silphium perfoliatum L. and their interspecific hybrids were assessed by securing bags over heads late in bloom and counting emerged adult flies ∼30 d later. Effects on seed production were assessed by examining the percent of achenes containing fully developed seeds (i.e., seed set). In 2017, more flies emerged from S. integrifolium and hybrids than from S. perfoliatum, but even high numbers of adult flies emerged per head appeared unrelated to seed set in S. integrifolium. In 2018, far fewer flies were found across Silphium spp., but seed set was similar to 2017. Combined, results indicate that N. finalis is unlikely to limit seed production of Silphium spp. 1462wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/agj2

show abstract

Strategic use of native species on environmental gradients increases diversity and biomass relative to switchgrass monocultures

Cited by 18 publications

References 44 publications

Biomass Production of Monocultures and Mixtures of Cup Plant and Native Grasses on Prime and Marginal Cropland

Biomass Production of Monocultures and Mixtures of Cup Plant and Native Grasses on Prime and Marginal Cropland

Perennial biomass crop establishment, community characteristics, and productivity in the upper US Midwest: Effects of cropping systems seed mixtures and biochar applications

Pest potential of Neotephritis finalis (Loew) on Silphium integrifolium Michx., Silphium perfoliatum L., and interspecific hybrids

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About