Dry Matter Accumulation of Elephantgrass, Energycane, and Elephantmillet in a Subtropical Climate

Abstract

Tall genotypes of elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) and energycane (Saccharum spp.) are potential biomass energy plants in subtropical areas because annual dry matter (DM) yields often exceed 40 Mg ha−1. A field study was conducted to characterize crop performance of these C4 bunchgrasses during the 35‐ to 40‐wk warm season in north‐central Florida. Entries included two tall elephantgrasses (PI 300086 and N51), a tall energycane (L79‐1002), and intermediate pearlmillet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] × elephantgrass hybrid (S41). In 1989 at Gainesville and in 1990 at another location 20 km away, the grasses were mowed on 28 March and fertilized 1 wk later with 200 kg N, 22 kg P, and 83 kg K ha−1. Onetime harvests of above‐ground biomass were made at 28‐d intervals from 16 May through 28 November. Final harvest DM yields (2‐yr means) were 46 Mg ha−1 yr−1 for PI 300086, 47 for N51, 49 for L79‐1002, and 37 for S41. Near‐linear DM accumulation continued for 140 to 196 d at mean crop growth rates ranging from 18 to 27 g m−2 d−1. For the tall bunchgrasses, DM production at any point during the season was accurately predicted from canopy height, since height was linearly related to the square root of DM yield (0.87 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.96). Gross energy yields (2‐yr means) in barrels of crude oil equivalent (158.8 L barrel −1) were 135 ha−1 yr−1 for PI 300086, 139 for N51, 141 for L79‐I002, and 106 for S41. The high‐yielding abilities of the grasses were related to the long linear DM accumulation period.

Structural Characterization of the Lignin in the Cortex and Pith of Elephant Grass (Pennisetum purpureum) Stems

“…It should not be confused with the species Miscanthus giganteus, also sometimes called elephant grass. The species is a robust grass with perennial stems, reaching over 3 m high, and is widely recognized as having the highest biomass productivity among herbaceous plants, attaining up to 45 Mg ha −1 y −1 , 3,4 and therefore has been considered an excellent alternative feedstock to provide abundant and sustainable resources of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of biofuels. 5 Cell wall polysaccharides can be used as feedstocks for the fermentative production of bioethanol or other biofuels after being broken down into simple sugars.…”

Effects of Cutting Interval and Cutting Height on Dry Matter Yield and Overwintering Ability at the Established Year inPennisetum Species

“…Pennisetum species, especially in pearl millet, are widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions for forage as well as for grain (Vicente-Chandler et al, 1959;Muldoon and Pearson, 1979;Mendoza and Schank, 1987;Ito and Inanaga, 1988;Woodard and Prine, 1993;Sunusi et al, 1999;Wadi et al, 2003a). Among Pennisetum species, there are many relatives which were bred by reciprocal crossing, such as kinggrass or banagrass (napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum) pearl millet (P. thypoides)), and hybrid napiergrass or Pusa Giant Napier (P. thypoides P. purpureum) (Pieterse et al, 1993;Schank et al, 1993).…”

Quality Herbage Production of Dwarf Napiergrass with Italian Ryegrass Cropping under Digested Effluent Application in Southern Kyushu, Japan

“…Application of DEM to soil surface was proved to improve soil chemical properties without major contamination to the environments of arable lands (Hasyim et al, 2014). Several studies in Thailand (Rengsirikul et al, 2011) and Florida, USA (Woodard and Prine, 1993) noted that the recommended application rate at 20-30 g N m −2 are crucial to sustain high yield and quality in napiergrass.…”

“…Defoliation is an important management factor because of the multiple influences on the growth attributes as well as forage qualities, either by cutting operation or by animal grazing (Hodgson, 1979;Thomas, 1980). Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) is a C 4 tropical grass which produces abundantly nutritious green forage and is considered to be excellent feeds for livestock under both green-chopping and grazing systems in the tropics (Vicente-Chandler et al, 1959;Woodard and Prine, 1993) as well as in temperate Kyushu, Japan (Sunusi et al, 1999;Wadi et al, 2004;Idota et al, 2005;Hasyim et al, 2010), affected by the various conditions such as growth stages, climatic factors and defoliation intensity (Zewdu et al, 2002). Several genotypes of napiergrass were investigated for the potential biofuel production in the tropics (Williams and Hanna, 1995;Rengsirikul et al, 2011) and in temperate Kyushu (Khairani et al, 2013).…”