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Species Composition Changes in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grassland When Managed for Biomass Feedstock Production

Species Composition Changes in CRP...

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Abstract

Grasslands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) serve as one of the potential national herbaceous resources for use as a dedicated bioenergy feedstock. The goal of this project was to assess the yield potential and suitability of CRP grassland as a bioenergy feedstock source across the USA in regions with significant CRP land resources. In addition to that goal, one major objective of this project was to assess vegetation composition changes that also occurred on these different CRP grasslands over time with different harvest and fertilization management strategies. Three levels of nitrogen fertilization (0, 56, and 112 kg ha−1) and two harvest timings [peak standing crop (PSC) or end of growing season (EGS)] were evaluated for effects on biomass production and resulting species composition changes. Three sites in regions containing concentrated tracts of CRP grassland and representing variable climatic parameters were analyzed for vegetation composition trends over the course of six growing seasons (2008–2013). Specifically, a mixture of warm-season perennial grasses was evaluated in Kansas (KS), while a cool-season mixture was evaluated in Missouri (MO). North Dakota (ND) contained a mixture of both warm- and cool-season grasses. At the MO and KS sites, nitrogen fertilization significantly altered the grass and legume composition over time by lowering the legume percentage in the stand. In KS and ND, the two sites with warm-season grasses, harvesting in mid-summer at PSC, greatly reduced warm-season grass composition over time in favor of annual cool-season grass invaders or perennial cool-season grasses. Any shift to less desirable or less productive species limits the ability of these lands to provide a sustainable or reliable feedstock for bioenergy production.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the funding from the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center at South Dakota State University through a grant provided by the US Department of Energy Office of Biomass Programs under award number DE-FC36-05GO85041. We also express gratitude to Ryan Lock for suggested improvements to the manuscript.

Contribution no. 16-244-J from the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Research Center—Hays, Kansas State University, 1232 240th Ave, Hays, KS, 67601, USA

    Keith R. Harmoney

  2. Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, AW-101 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    D. K. Lee

  3. Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, 108 Waters, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    R. L. Kallenbach

  4. Carrington Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, 663 Hwy 281 N., PO Box 219, Carrington, ND, 58421, USA

    E. Z. Aberle

Authors
  1. Keith R. Harmoney
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  2. D. K. Lee
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  3. R. L. Kallenbach
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  4. E. Z. Aberle
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Correspondence to Keith R. Harmoney.

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Harmoney, K.R., Lee, D.K., Kallenbach, R.L. et al. Species Composition Changes in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grassland When Managed for Biomass Feedstock Production. Bioenerg. Res. 9, 1180–1188 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-016-9764-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-016-9764-9

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