Misconceptions and Facts
Misconceptions and Facts
MISCONCEPTION: Switchgrass grows well in dry areas
with shallow, infertile soils and does not require fertilization or
irrigation.
FACTS:
- Alabama switchgrass yields approached 15 tons/acre. Nitrogen was applied at 100 lbs N/acre and there was abundant rainfall.
- Switchgrass production in Iowa uses the same nitrogen recommendation.
- Oklahoma does not currently have specific nitrogen recommendations, but switchgrass does not appear to be responsive to more than 50 lbs N/acre.
- In Oklahoma, the highest yields (8 tons/acre) occurred with 40 inches of precipitation; lower yields (6 tons/acre) occurred with 30 inches of precipitation, both on deep, fertile soils. Old stands of inferior varieties do not yield 6 tons/acre. Average yields of only 1 to 3 tons/acre should be expected on marginal sites.
MISCONCEPTION: Fifteen percent of the U.S.
agricultural land is unsuitable for farming. If all of it were planted
to switchgrass, we could replace every gallon of gasoline with
ethanol.
FACTS:
- Currently, much of this land is in CRP, which is not highly productive for agriculture with poor soil conditions, steep slopes, shallow, etc.
- Yields are much less than 6 to 8 tons/acre on steep, shallow soil with low fertility.
MISCONCEPTION: In the future (10 to 20 years),
switchgrass yields will increase beyond their current potential.
FACTS:
- Switchgrass is a perennial and should be resown every 10 to 15 years.
- Yields are currently dependent on differences in environmental conditions with average yields of between 5 to 10 tons/acre on good soils. Marginal sites yield much less.
- Historically, there has been little success with increasing biomass yields in herbaceous crops.
- Little research has been devoted to increasing switchgrass yields (compared to many of our row crops) and no research yet indicates substantially higher yielding cultivars will be available.
MISCONCEPTION: Switchgrass is cheaper to produce as a
feedstock than corn for producing ethanol.
FACTS:
- The processes for conversion of cellulose in switchgrass stems to a usable clean fuel have not been proven on a large scale; thus, the economics remain unknown.
- Consideration must be given to:
-
- Fuel prices
- Yield (higher yields have cheaper production costs per unit of production.)
- Transportation costs. Switchgrass is bulky and expensive to haul.
- Overall it may be more than, less than, or equal to corn-based ethanol.
MISCONCEPTION: Switchgrass is good for the environment
because it adds organic matter and carbon to the soil.
FACTS:
- Switchgrass captures great amounts of carbon from the air and converts it to organic matter as it grows; however, this last only as long as the plants are alive.
- When a stand is destroyed and the land is plowed, the organic matter quickly breaks down and the carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
