Farm-scale costs and returns for second generation bioenergy cropping systems in the US Corn Belt

Manatt, Robert; Hallam, Arne; Schulte, Lisa A.; Heaton, Emily A.; Gunther, Theodore P.; Hall, Richard B.; Moore, Kenneth J.

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035037

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The choice of cropping systems impacts biomass production rates , and tradeoffs are likely between the financial incentives (Manatt et al, 2013) and the impacts to ecosystem functioning derived from carbon cycling processes (AndersonTeixera et al, 2013). Our data show that short-term benefits to belowground C cycling-specifically the physical protection of SOM-are apparent within three years following establishment of no-till bioenergy cropping systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing soil aggregation and particulate organic matter responses to bioenergy crops across a topographic gradient

et al. 2015

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Bioenergy crops have the potential to enhance soil carbon (C) pools fromincreased aggregation and the physical protection of organicmatter; however, our understanding of the variation in these processes over heterogeneous landscapes is limited. In particular, little is known about the relative importance of soil properties and root characteristics for the physical protection of particulate organic matter (POM). We studied short-term (3-year) changes in aggregation and POM-C pools under three cropping systems (switchgrass, a triticale/sorghumdouble crop, continuous corn) replicated across five landscape positions along a topographic gradient in Iowa, USA.We isolated POMassociated with three aggregate fractions (N2mm, 0.25-2mm, and 0.053-0.25mm) to determine the relative influence of ten soil and three root properties. Aggregation increased in all cropping systems andwas greatest under switchgrass; however cropping systemeffectswere not consistent among positions. Total soil organic C stocks did not change, but Cwithin both physically protected (iPOM-C) and unprotected (frPOM) C pools increased. Shifts in iPOM-C were concurrently influenced by soil properties and root traits. Soil texture had the strongest influence (65% relative importance), with finer-textured soils showing greater gains in total iPOM-C, while greater root biomass influenced (35% relative importance) accrual of total iPOM-C. Aggregate fractions varied in their iPOM-C response to soil and root variables, however individual pools similarly showed the importance of soil texture and root biomass and annual root productivity (BNPP). Changes in frPOM-C were strongly correlated with BNPP. Our data suggest that macroaggregate formation drives short-term responses of POM, which are influenced by both soil and root system properties. Crops that maximize root biomass and BNPP will lead to the largest increases in protected soil C stocks. However, C storage rates will vary across landscapes according to soil conditions, with texture as the primary influence. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. Bioenergy crops have the potential to enhance soil carbon (C) pools from increased aggregation and the physical protection of organic matter; however, our understanding of the variation in these processes over heterogeneous landscapes is limited. In particular, little is known about the relative importance of soil properties and root characteristics for the physical protection of particulate organic matter (POM). We studied short-term (3-year) changes in aggregation and POM-C pools under three cropping systems (switchgrass, a triticale/sorghum double crop, continuous corn) replicated across five landscape positions along a topographic gradient in Iowa, USA. We isolated POM associated with three aggregate fractions (N 2 mm, 0.25-2 mm, and 0.053-0.25 mm) to determine the relative influence of ten soil and three root properti...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing soil aggregation and particulate organic matter responses to bioenergy crops across a topographic gradient

et al. 2015

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“…Second generation technologies are known to have higher costs as alluded to by a number of studies (Meihui et al, 2015;Ramamurthi et al, 2014;Pourhashem et al, 2013;Manatt et al, 2013;Haarlemmer et al, 2012;Stephen et al, 2012).…”

Section: Resource Requirement In Bioenergy Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for bioenergy use in Ghana using Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning model

Kemausuor

Nygaard

Mackenzie

2015

Energy

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As Ghana's economy grows, the choice of future energy paths and policies in the coming years will have a significant influence on its energy security. A Renewable Energy Act approved in 2011 seeks to encourage the influx of renewable energy sources in Ghana's energy mix. The new legal framework combined with increasing demand for energy has created an opportunity for dramatic changes in the way energy is generated in Ghana. However, the impending changes and their implication remain uncertain. This paper examines the extent to which future energy scenarios in Ghana could rely on energy from biomass sources, through the production of biogas, liquid biofuels and electricity. Analysis was based on moderate and high use of bioenergy for transportation, electricity generation and residential fuel using the LEAP model. Results obtained indicate that introducing bioenergy to the energy mix could reduce GHG emissions by about 6 million tonnes CO2e by 2030, equivalent to a 14% reduction in a businessas-usual scenario. This paper advocates the use of second generation ethanol for transport, to the extent that it is economically exploitable. Resorting to first generation ethanol would require the allocation of over 580,000 ha of agricultural land for ethanol production.

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“…Many have demonstrated that incorporating perennial vegetation can disproportionately enhance ecosystem services from extensively managed croplands, including erosion control, improvements in water quality, and pest control (Helmers et al 2012, Gopalakrishnan et al 2012, Meehan et al 2013, Asbjornsen et al 2014, Daigh et al 2014, but usually at an economic penalty under current market and policy conditions (Manatt et al 2013, Guerry et al 2015. Top-down land management schemes are widespread (Osmond et al 2012) but have had limited implementation success in the Maize Belt because they do not align with many social and economic constraints, notably land tenure (Morton and Brown 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subfield profitability analysis reveals an economic case for cropland diversification

Brandes

McNunn

Schulte

et al. 2016

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Public agencies and private enterprises increasingly desire to achieve ecosystem service outcomes in agricultural systems, but are limited by perceived conflicts between economic and ecosystem service goals and a lack of tools enabling effective operational management. Here we use Iowa-an agriculturally homogeneous state representative of the Maize Belt-to demonstrate an economic rationale for cropland diversification at the subfield scale. We used a novel computational framework that integrates disparate but publicly available data to map ∼3.3 million unique potential management polygons (9.3 Mha) and reveal subfield opportunities to increase overall field profitability. We analyzed subfield profitability for maize/soybean fields during 2010-2013-four of the most profitable years in recent history-and projected results for 2015. While cropland operating at a loss of US$ 250 ha −1 or more was negligible between 2010 and 2013 at 18 000-190 000 ha (<2% of row-crop land), the extent of highly unprofitable land increased to 2.5 Mha, or 27% of row-crop land, in the 2015 projection. Aggregation of these areas to the township level revealed 'hotspots' for potential management change in Western, Central, and Northeast Iowa. In these least profitable areas, incorporating conservation management that breaks even (e.g., planting low-input perennials), into low-yielding portions of fields could increase overall cropland profitability by 80%. This approach is applicable to the broader region and differs substantially from the status quo of 'top-down' land management for conservation by harnessing private interest to align profitability with the production of ecosystem services.

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Farm-scale costs and returns for second generation bioenergy cropping systems in the US Corn Belt

Cited by 21 publications

References 29 publications

Factors influencing soil aggregation and particulate organic matter responses to bioenergy crops across a topographic gradient

Factors influencing soil aggregation and particulate organic matter responses to bioenergy crops across a topographic gradient

Prospects for bioenergy use in Ghana using Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning model

Subfield profitability analysis reveals an economic case for cropland diversification

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