Big bluestem as a bioenergy crop: A review

Zhang, Ke; Johnson, Loretta C.; Prasad, P. V. Vara; Pei, Zhijian; Wang, Donghai

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2015.07.144

Cited by 29 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 187 publications

(205 reference statements)

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“…These germination matrices are also useful in evaluating the impacts of maternal environmental conditions on seed quality traits [1,6,10,19]. Since temperature and CO 2 fluctuations are anticipated influencing crop productivity under natural settings, evaluation of seed germination characteristics at a range of temperature regimes would provide insight into the adaptability of big bluestem and a possible link to maternal environments.Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a dominant perennial warm-season C 4 grass species that contribute ≈80% of the biomass in the natural and managed grasslands of the United States [20]. However, big bluestem requires cold temperatures to break down seed dormancy for quick re-establishment in grassland regions [21,22].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Parental Environmental Effects on Seed Quality and Germination Response to Temperature of Andropogon gerardii

Singh

Singh²,

Matcha

et al. 2019

Agronomy

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Parental environments (PEs) affect seed quality and might alter the re-establishment of big bluestem grass due to impacts on seed germination. An in vitro study was conducted to quantify the temperature response of seed germination and its interaction with the PE in big bluestem. Seeds developed under eight PEs consisting of a combination of four day/night growth temperatures (GTs) (20/12, 25/17, 30/22, and 35/27 • C) and two CO 2 levels (360 and 720 µL L −1 ) were germinated at eight temperatures (germination temperatures (GRTs)) ranging from 10 to 42.5 • C. Quadratic and modified bilinear regressions best described the cardinal temperatures for the estimated maximum seed germination (MSG) and seed germination rate (SGR), respectively. The average MSG and SGR showed differential responses to the PEs and significantly declined above a 35 • C GRT across the PEs. For the SGR, the minimum and optimum temperatures showed significant differences from other treatments but the opposite response to elevated CO 2 , while maximum temperatures significantly declined at high (35/27 • C) and low GTs (20/12 • C). Seed quality parameters, individual seed weight, and C and N contents showed a high correlation (R 2 > 60) with the average percentage of seed germination and the SGR. Thus, high temperatures for both the PEs (>30/22 • C) and GRTs (>30 • C) could significantly reduce germination, affecting the re-establishment of big bluestem.Agronomy 2019, 9, 304 2 of 17 growing temperature strongly affects the rate and duration of the seed filling period, thus affecting seed mass and composition, such as nitrogen and carbon contents [5,6]. Also, elevated CO 2 has been found to decrease seed constituents, such as mineral elements and organic compounds [7]. The current levels of global mean surface air temperature and atmospheric CO 2 are likely to exceed 1.1 to 5.4 • C, depending on representative concentration pathway scenarios, by the end of the 21st century [8]. Huxman et al. [9] found an increased C/N ratio in elevated-CO 2 -developed Bromus rubens L. grass seeds, which resulted in reduced seed quality and seedling performance. Moreover, Hampton et al. [10] suggested that elevated CO 2 during seed development might produce greater ethylene, which induces early seed germination in many species. The adverse impacts of high temperatures on seeds during development might be attributed to the limited supply of photosynthetic assimilates [3,11] and physiological damage leading to a loss of seeds' ability to germinate [1]. Thus, the combined impacts of temperature and elevated CO 2 are likely to alter seed traits essential for initial plant establishment.Seed mass, composition, viability, germination, and seedling vigor are some useful seed quality indicators for the establishment purposes of plants [12,13]. Seed germination characteristics are easy to determine under a laboratory set-up and have been widely exploited for the selection of cultivars with environmental stress tolerance in several crops, including rice [14], cotton [15], s...

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confidence: 99%

“…Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a dominant perennial warm-season C 4 grass species that contribute ≈80% of the biomass in the natural and managed grasslands of the United States [20]. However, big bluestem requires cold temperatures to break down seed dormancy for quick re-establishment in grassland regions [21,22].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Environmental Effects on Seed Quality and Germination Response to Temperature of Andropogon gerardii

Singh

Singh²,

Matcha

et al. 2019

Agronomy

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“…Our results suggest that the small‐statured phenotypes characteristic of the dry western shortgrass prairies will become favored in the current core distribution where tallgrass forms currently predominate. These changes have important implications for diversity and productivity of restored prairies (Collins et al., ; Mendola et al., ), the livestock industry (Rogler, ), and bioenergy production (Zhang et al., ). The degree to which the species will actually respond in a manner that matches our predictions depends on the potential for in situ selection (Jump & Peñuelas, ; Shaw & Etterson, ), sexual reproduction, and dispersal to more suitable sites, perhaps aided by assisted gene flow (Aitken & Whitlock, ; Broadhurst et al., ; Hufford & Mazer, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Overall our results indicate that decreases in species‐level suitability will be manifested by reduced biomass and stature. These predictions have important consequences for prairie restoration (Baer et al., ), ecosystem function (Fay et al., ), and forage and bioenergy production (Rogler, ; Zhang et al., ). More broadly, our results demonstrate that to understand species‐level dynamics under global change we need to account for intraspecific phenotypic variation of fitness‐related traits and how it mediates species’ responses to climate change.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic distribution models corroborate species distribution models: A shift in the role and prevalence of a dominant prairie grass in response to climate change

Smith

Alsdurf

Knapp

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

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Phenotypic distribution within species can vary widely across environmental gradients but forecasts of species' responses to environmental change often assume species respond homogenously across their ranges. We compared predictions from species and phenotype distribution models under future climate scenarios for Andropogon gerardii, a widely distributed, dominant grass found throughout the central United States. Phenotype data on aboveground biomass, height, leaf width, and chlorophyll content were obtained from 33 populations spanning a ~1000 km gradient that encompassed the majority of the species' environmental range. Species and phenotype distribution models were trained using current climate conditions and projected to future climate scenarios. We used permutation procedures to infer the most important variable for each model. The species-level response to climate was most sensitive to maximum temperature of the hottest month, but phenotypic variables were most sensitive to mean annual precipitation. The phenotype distribution models predict that A. gerardii could be largely functionally eliminated from where this species currently dominates, with biomass and height declining by up to ~60% and leaf width by ~20%. By the 2070s, the core area of highest suitability for A. gerardii is projected to shift up to ~700 km northeastward. Further, short-statured phenotypes found in the present-day short grass prairies on the western periphery of the species' range will become favored in the current core ~800 km eastward of their current location. Combined, species and phenotype models predict this currently dominant prairie grass will decline in prevalence and stature. Thus, sourcing plant material for grassland restoration and forage should consider changes in the phenotype that will be favored under future climate conditions. Phenotype distribution models account for the role of intraspecific variation in determining responses to anticipated climate change and thereby complement predictions from species distributions models in guiding climate adaptation strategies.

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“…Route of conversion and possible final products of biomass generated in short-rotation woody crops in Latin America[31,[107][108][109].…”

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Short Rotation Wood Crops in Latin American: A Review on Status and Potential Uses as Biofuel

Moya

Oporto

2019

Energies

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Studies related to biomass production, with a focus on energy uses for short-rotation woody crops (SRWCs), are limited in Latin America. The research that is available relates to a variety of tested SRWC species (50 species), however, the most important species are Populus, Salix, Eucalyptus, Acacia, and Gmelina arborea. In the existing studies, stocking densities varied from 1111 to 20,000 trees per hectare, with square or rectangular spacing. One important advantage of SRWC systems in this region, compared to most regions worldwide, is the predictability of biomass yields due to the tropical climate conditions of the majority of the Latin American countries. Rotations of three and four years can be projected to produce total biomass yields of 30–50 tons/ha, with increments of 10–20 tons/ha/yr. Fertilization is performed in SRWC with the aim of preventing soil degradation and maintaining further production. In regards to possible uses of biofuel generated from SRWC in Latin America, an inconvenience is that there are neither well-established harvesting systems nor conventional pre-treatments to process the biomass. Processes that are available in the region that use biomass from SRWC for energy production are gasification and pellet production. Other potential biofuel processes, such as torrefaction and biochemical conversion, are limited in this area.

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Big bluestem as a bioenergy crop: A review

Cited by 29 publications

References 187 publications

Parental Environmental Effects on Seed Quality and Germination Response to Temperature of Andropogon gerardii

Parental Environmental Effects on Seed Quality and Germination Response to Temperature of Andropogon gerardii

Phenotypic distribution models corroborate species distribution models: A shift in the role and prevalence of a dominant prairie grass in response to climate change

Short Rotation Wood Crops in Latin American: A Review on Status and Potential Uses as Biofuel

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