Ithaka, New York
October 22, 2008
By Lauren Chambliss
Talk about a field of dreams.
Cornell University
bioenergy plant experts are learning which field grasses are the
best candidates for "dedicated energy" crops in the Northeast,
considering the region's climate and soil conditions.
The experts hosted their first
field day Sept. 10 to give farmers, government officials,
extension educators and researchers the opportunity to view
stands of tall grasses that represent the future of bioenergy in
the Northeast.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' (CALS) Bioenergy
Feedstock Project, now in its second year, is the only project
of its kind devoted to exploring the many species of field grass
that grow in the Northeast and their potential as sources for
biofuels.
 |
|
Lauren Chambliss
Cool-season perennial grass varieties have great
potential for producing the quantity and quality of
biomass needed for conversion to alternative, renewable
energy. |
The project has roughly 80 acres
of different warm- and cool-season perennial grass varieties,
otherwise known as "feedstocks," growing in 11 counties across
New York. "Our ultimate goal is to maximize the economic benefit
of bioenergy production as an alternative energy source," said
Donald Viands, professor of plant breeding and genetics, who
heads the project, speaking against a colorful backdrop of a
field of blue, green, lavender and beige hues, where some plants
were withering, but some were some thriving.
Switchgrass, big bluestem and other wild grasses native to the
United States have great potential for producing the quantity
and quality of biomass needed for conversion to alternative,
renewable energy, particularly biofuels, Viands said. The grass
project will eventually provide farmers and producers with
answers to such critical questions as which varieties of grasses
to plant, appropriate seeding rates, weed control and other
best-management practices to produce "quick, cheap" sugars that
can be most easily liberated from the plant biomass and
converted to fuel.
Hilary Mayton, extension associate
and coordinator of the project, said that of the 12 varieties of
switchgrass planted, some are showing a distinct advantage over
others. Visitors saw how some strips of these warm-season
grasses appeared stunted and unhealthy, while others were tall
and vibrant. Julie Hansen, a Cornell plant breeding and genetics
senior research associate, discussed trials on cool-season
grasses, such as tall wheat grass and tall fescue, some of which
are now commonly grown for feeding livestock.
When the small plots and strip trial demonstration grass trials
are harvested later this year, Mayton and her Cornell and
private company collaborators will obtain data for both
gasification (heat, power and liquid fuels) and cellulosic
conversion technologies (biofuels and other byproducts) from the
different types of grasses.
In the wild, many of these native perennial grasses can survive,
and even thrive, on marginal land. Some of the Cornell trials
were specifically planted on land that is not suitable for such
domesticated, monoculture food crops as corn.
Paul Salon, a plant material specialist with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture who is working closely with Cornell on the project,
noted that the close proximity of agricultural land to major
population and transportation centers in the Northeast makes
this region ideal for developing bioenergy crops and industrial
byproducts, which is why so much is riding on these fields of
mixed greens.
The project is funded by the New York Farm Viability Institute,
CALS and the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station.
Lauren Chambliss is a communications specialist with the
Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station in Ithaca. |
|
