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All Washed Out? Foliar Nutrient Resorption and Leaching in Senescing Switchgrass

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Abstract

Ideal bioenergy feedstocks are low in nutrients that act as anti-quality factors during conversion processes. Research has shown that delaying harvest of temperate perennial grasses until late winter reduces nutrient content, primarily due to end-season resorption, but also indicates a role for foliar nutrient leaching. While end-season resorption has been estimated, foliar nutrient leaching has not, and is a factor that could refine harvest recommendations. Additionally, establishing a baseline of mineral loss during switchgrass senescence will improve our understanding of leaf-level nutrient resorption. Therefore, we applied simulated rainfall to replicated (n = 5) plots within a previously established switchgrass stand to determine if heavy precipitation can induce nutrient leaching in senescing, unharvested foliage. Hour-long simulated rainfalls of ∼120 mm were applied every 2 weeks from early September to a killing frost in 2014 and 2015. Leaf samples were taken from the upper and lower canopy before and after simulated rainfalls and from no-rain controls and analyzed for elemental N, P, K, S, Mg, and Ca. Nutrient resorption estimates ranged from 33 to 82% in control plots. Comparison of rainfall plots to controls indicated that lower canopy leaves, upon reaching ≥50% senescence, were slightly susceptible to foliar nutrient leaching, with losses ranging from 0.3 to 2.8 g kg−1 dry matter for K, P, and Mg. Nitrogen, Ca, and S were not susceptible to foliar leaching. Although statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05), these values suggested that foliar leaching was not a strong driver of nutrient loss during senescence.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch project 1008969, by funding from the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center at South Dakota State University through the Sun Grant Initiative, and by the Agronomy Fellowship from the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University. We thank Catherine Bonin Hunt, Nicholas Boersma (and Stephanie Boersma), Elke Brandes, Mauricio Tejera, Danielle Wilson, Glyn Powell, Valeria Cano Camacho, Alexander Degaetano, and Collin Coon for assistance with this project. We would particularly like to thank Jeff Cook for technical and field assistance with the outdoor rainfall simulator.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Ruth H. Burke, Kenneth J. Moore, Fernando E. Miguez & Emily A. Heaton

  2. USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Martin J. Shipitalo

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  1. Ruth H. Burke
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Correspondence to Emily A. Heaton.

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Burke, R.H., Moore, K.J., Shipitalo, M.J. et al. All Washed Out? Foliar Nutrient Resorption and Leaching in Senescing Switchgrass. Bioenerg. Res. 10, 305–316 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-017-9819-6

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