Approximately 15% of Miscanthus yield is lost at current commercial cutting heights in Iowa

Petersen, Bryan; Emran, Shah‐Al; Miguez, Fernando; Heaton, Emily; VanLoocke, Andy

doi:10.1002/agg2.70039

Approximately 15% of Miscanthus yield is lost at current commercial cutting heights in Iowa

Journal Article · Thu Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.70039· OSTI ID:2510505

^[1]; Emran, Shah‐Al ^[2]; Miguez, Fernando ^[3]; ^[2]; VanLoocke, Andy ^[1]

Iowa State University, Ames, IA (United States); Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), Urbana, IL (United States)
Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), Urbana, IL (United States); University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, IL (United States)
Iowa State University, Ames, IA (United States)

Various works have quantitatively characterized the effects of environmental and management factors on Miscanthus x giganteus Greef et Deu (mxg) yield and, therefore, anticipated land requirement per unit production. However, little work has addressed the effects of cutting height, which may significantly contribute to the difference between the standing aboveground biomass at harvest (i.e., biological yield) and harvested yield. This study quantitatively characterized the effect of cutting height using a replicated nitrogen trial of a 5-year-old mxg stand in southeast Iowa and related this information to observations of cutting height in nearby commercial fields. Nitrogen fertilizer did not significantly change the relationship of the stem segment mass to length, and overall, a 1-cm stem segment contributes 0.5% of the total stem biomass within the bottom 44 cm of the stem. This results in an average harvest loss of 15% of the aboveground standing biomass when cutting at 30 cm, typically seen in commercial mxg fields in eastern Iowa. Cutting height should be considered when accurately predicting commercial mxg harvest yields and changes in soil organic carbon in a commercial mxg agroecosystem.

View Journal Article

Research Organization:: Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), Urbana, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0018420

OSTI ID:: 2510505

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2510997

Journal Information:: Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment, Vol. 8, Issue 1; ISSN 2639-6696

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (31)

Combustion properties of Miscanthus x giganteus biomass – Optimization of harvest time Bilandzija, Nikola; Jurisic, Vanja; Voca, Neven Journal of the Energy Institute, Vol. 90, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joei.2016.05.009	journal	August 2017
Contribution of above- and belowground bioenergy crop residues to soil carbon Carvalho, Joao L. N.; Hudiburg, Tara W.; Franco, Henrique C. J. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 9, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12411	journal	January 2017
Environmental limitation mapping of potential biomass resources across the conterminous United States Daly, Christopher; Halbleib, Michael D.; Hannaway, David B. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 10, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12496	journal	January 2018
Potential growth and biomass productivity of Miscanthus×giganteus as affected by plant density and N-fertilization in central Greece Danalatos, N.; Archontoulis, S.; Mitsios, I. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 31, Issue 2-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2006.07.004	journal	February 2007
More Productive Than Maize in the Midwest: How Does Miscanthus Do It? Dohleman, Frank G.; Long, Stephen P. Plant Physiology, Vol. 150, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.109.139162	journal	June 2009
Planting miscanthus instead of row crops may increase the productivity and economic performance of farmed potholes Edmonds, Patrick; Franz, Kristie J.; Heaton, Emily A. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 13, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12870	journal	July 2021
Water Quality Effects of Economically Viable Land Use Change in the Mississippi River Basin under the Renewable Fuel Standard Ferin, Kelsie M.; Chen, Luoye; Zhong, Jia Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 55, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c04358	journal	January 2021
Biomass yield potential on U.S. marginal land and its contribution to reach net‐zero emission He, Yufeng; Jaiswal, Deepak; Long, Stephen P. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 16, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.13128	journal	January 2024
A quantitative review comparing the yields of two candidate C4 perennial biomass crops in relation to nitrogen, temperature and water Heaton, E. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 27, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2003.10.005	journal	July 2004
Costs of producing miscanthus and switchgrass for bioenergy in Illinois Khanna, Madhu; Dhungana, Basanta; Clifton-Brown, John Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 32, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2007.11.003	journal	June 2008
Miscanthus Establishment and Overwintering in the Midwest USA: A Regional Modeling Study of Crop Residue Management on Critical Minimum Soil Temperatures Kucharik, Christopher J.; VanLoocke, Andy; Lenters, John D. PLoS ONE, Vol. 8, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068847	journal	July 2013
Influence of cutting height on biomass yield and quality of miscanthus genotypes Magenau, Elena; Kiesel, Andreas; Clifton‐Brown, John GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 13, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12881	journal	July 2021
The effect of harvest date and harvest method on the combustion characteristics ofMiscanthus × giganteus Meehan, Peter G.; Finnan, John M.; Mc Donnell, Kevin P. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 5, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12003	journal	September 2012
Ecosystem-Service Tradeoffs Associated with Switching from Annual to Perennial Energy Crops in Riparian Zones of the US Midwest Meehan, Timothy D.; Gratton, Claudio; Diehl, Erica PLoS ONE, Vol. 8, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080093	journal	November 2013
Meta-analysis of the effects of management factors on Miscanthus×giganteus growth and biomass production Miguez, Fernando E.; Villamil, María Bonita; Long, Stephen P. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 148, Issue 8-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2008.03.010	journal	July 2008
The discrepancy between plot and field yields: Harvest and storage losses of switchgrass Monti, A.; Fazio, S.; Venturi, G. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 33, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2009.01.006	journal	May 2009
Ecosystem‐scale biogeochemical fluxes from three bioenergy crop candidates: How energy sorghum compares to maize and miscanthus Moore, Caitlin E.; Haden, Adam C.; Burnham, Mark B. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 13, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12788	journal	December 2020
Nitrogen fertilization effects on aged Miscanthus × giganteus stands: Exploring biomass yield, yield components, and biomass prediction using in‐season morphological traits Namoi, Nictor; Jang, Chunhwa; Behnke, Gevan D. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 16, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.13139	journal	April 2024
Modeling Miscanthus in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to Simulate Its Water Quality Effects As a Bioenergy Crop Ng, Tze Ling; Eheart, J. Wayland; Cai, Ximing Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1021/es9039677	journal	September 2010
Evaluation of Agricultural Production Systems Simulator as yield predictor of Panicum virgatum and Miscanthus x giganteus in several US environments Ojeda, Jonathan J.; Volenec, Jeffrey J.; Brouder, Sylvie M. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 9, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12384	journal	July 2016
Recent advances in commercial biorefineries for lignocellulosic ethanol production: Current status, challenges and future perspectives Raj, Tirath; Chandrasekhar, K.; Naresh Kumar, A. Bioresource Technology, Vol. 344 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126292	journal	January 2022
AMiscanthusplantation can be carbon neutral without increasing soil carbon stocks Robertson, Andy D.; Whitaker, Jeanette; Morrison, Ross GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 9, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12397	journal	November 2016
Comparative productivity of alternative cellulosic bioenergy cropping systems in the North Central USA Sanford, Gregg R.; Oates, Lawrence G.; Jasrotia, Poonam Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Vol. 216 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2015.10.018	journal	January 2016
Responsiveness of miscanthus and switchgrass yields to stand age and nitrogen fertilization: A meta‐regression analysis Sharma, Bijay P.; Zhang, Na; Lee, DoKyoung GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 14, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12929	journal	March 2022
The limits of bioenergy for mitigating global life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels Staples, Mark D.; Malina, Robert; Barrett, Steven R. H. Nature Energy, Vol. 2, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.202	journal	January 2017
What We Talk about When We Talk about Soil Health Stewart, Ryan D.; Jian, Jinshi; Gyawali, Ayush J. Agricultural & Environmental Letters, Vol. 3, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2134/ael2018.06.0033	journal	January 2018
Soil net nitrogen mineralization and leaching under Miscanthus × giganteus and Zea mays Studt, Jacob E.; McDaniel, Marshall D.; Tejera, Mauricio D. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 13, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12875	journal	July 2021
Assessing the potential to decrease the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone with Midwest US perennial cellulosic feedstock production VanLoocke, Andy; Twine, Tracy E.; Kucharik, Christopher J. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 9, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12385	journal	August 2016
Vertical Distribution of Corn Stover Dry Mass Grown at Several US Locations Wilhelm, Wally W.; Johnson, Jane M. F.; Lightle, Dave T. BioEnergy Research, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155‐010‐9097‐z	journal	June 2010
Intraseasonal Changes in Switchgrass Nitrogen Distribution Compared with Corn Wilson, Danielle M.; Heaton, Emily A.; Liebman, Matt Agronomy Journal, Vol. 105, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2012.0233	journal	March 2013
Agronomic and physiological performances of different species of Miscanthus , a major energy crop. A review Zub, H. W.; Brancourt-Hulmel, M. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, Vol. 30, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1051/agro/2009034	journal	April 2010

Similar Records

Soil net nitrogen mineralization and leaching under Miscanthus × giganteus and Zea mays

Journal Article · Sat Jun 26 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Global Change Biology. Bioenergy · OSTI ID:1807599

Studt, Jacob E.; McDaniel, Marshall D.; Tejera, Mauricio D.; +3 more

Approximately 15% of Miscanthus yield is lost at current commercial cutting heights in Iowa

Citation Formats

References (31)

Similar Records

Related Subjects