Journal
BIOENERGY RESEARCH
Volume 10, Issue 2, Pages 456-464Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s12155-016-9810-7
Keywords
Switchgrass; Panicum virgatum; Carbon cycle; Nitrogen; Bioenergy; Biofuel; Soil organic matter; Biogeochemistry; Greenhouse gases
Categories
Funding
- USDA [AFRI-2011-67009-20074]
- Glasscock Energy Research Scholarship
- NSF [DGE-1356113]
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (Office of Science) [DE-FCO2-07ER64494]
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy ) [DE-ACO5-76RL01830]
- NSF Long-term Ecological Research Program [DEB 1027253]
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [1027253] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The environmental sustainability of bioenergy cropping systems depends upon multiple factors such as crop selection, agricultural practices, and the management of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and water resources. Perennial grasses, such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), show potential as a sustainable bioenergy source due to high yields on marginal lands with low fertilizer inputs and an extensive root system that may increase sequestration of C and N in subsurface soil horizons. We quantified the C and N stocks in roots, free particulate, and mineral-associated soil organic matter pools in a 4-year-old switchgrass system following conversion from row crop agriculture at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in southwest Michigan. Crops were fertilized with nitrogen at either 0, 84, or 196 kg N ha(-1) and harvested either once or twice annually. Twice-annual harvesting caused a reduction of C and N stocks in the relatively labile roots and free-particulate organic matter pools. Nitrogen fertilizer significantly reduced total soil organic C and N stocks, particularly in the stable, mineral-associated C and N pools at depths greater than 15 cm. The largest total belowground C stocks in biomass and soil occurred in unfertilized plots with annual harvesting. These findings suggest that fertilization in switchgrass agriculture moderates the sequestration potential of the soil C pool.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available