Types of Switchgrass

1. Types of Switchgrass • Switchgrass (Panicumvirgatum): is a summer perennial grass that is native to North america. • There are two major Categories for Switchgrass: • Upland Cultivars • Upland types usually grow 5 to 6 feet tall and are adapted to well drained soils. • Lowland Cultivars • Lowland Cultivars are more adaptive to warmer climates such as the southern USA and are much higher yielding than uplands. • Lowland types grow up to 12 feet tall and which are typically found on heavy soils in bottomland sites. • In Kentucky, Lowland types are what is commonly and potentially being grown.

2. Lowland Switchgrass • Switchgrass is broadly adapted and will perform well in a wide range of soil types; successful establishment requires planting when the soil temperature is warm and moisture is available. • Alamo and Kanlow are potential types of lowland switchgrass being grown for biofuels production in Kentucky • Alamo & Kanlow have a high dry matter (DM) yield capability. • They display good resistance to stem rust disease. • Have good cold-weather tolerance • Have a fair drought tolerance http://www.lorenzsokseedsllc.com/switchgrass-a-viable-source-of-bioenergy/ http://www.buffalobrandseed.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=100348

3. Lowland Switchgrass Info Alamo Kanlow Soils: clays to fine sands Minimum rainfall: 20 inches Height: 3 – 8 feet Spread: 24 – 60 inches • Soils: clays to fine sands • Minimum rainfall: 20 inches • Height: 4 – 10 feet • Spread: 24 – 60 inches http://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/spfiles/SP701-A.pdf

4. Planting Methods Alamo Kanlow Planting in early spring to mid-summer. Can use no-till, conventional, and broadcast methods of seeding. Planting depth: ½ inch Planting rate: 6 lbs PLS per acre. Seed cost: $13.25 per pound pH: medium range of P and K are desirable w/ pH 5.5 – 6.5 • Plant in early spring to mid-summer • Can use no-till, conventional, and broadcast methods of seeding. • Planting depth: ¼ inch • Planting rate: 6 lbs PLS per acre. • Seed cost: $13.25 per pound • pH: medium range of P and K are desirable w/ pH 5.5 – 6.5 http://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/spfiles/SP701-A.pdf

5. Harvesting • Switchgrass can be harvested and baled with commercially available haying equipment. • Self-propelled harvesters equipped with a rotary head (disc mowers) have most effectively harvested high-yielding (>6-ton per acre) switchgrass fields. • Additionally, after a killing frost, the multidirectional arrangement of the switchgrass in the windrow was easier to bale than the linearly arranged windrow left by a sickle-bar head. http://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/spfiles/SP701-A.pdf

6. Storage Tobacco warehouses located within a 50 mile radius of Winchester, Kentucky will potentially provide spacious storage facilities with easy road access. Large amounts of the biomass could be kept inside, out of the weather conditions, leading to higher dry matter yields and less economic loss, contributing to the over all success of the biofuels industry in Kentucky.

7. Processing • 2 pretreatments: • Chopping=changing the structural composition, physically • Pretreated biomass= changing the structural composition chemically **Once pretreated, the biomass is ready for enzymatic saccharification; this process extracts the sugars which will be fed to algae to produce algae oil, which can then be refined into biodiesel.