Ames, Iowa
September 15, 2008
After only a handful of weeks in
Ames, one of the newest faculty members of the
Iowa State University
Department of Agronomy is generating a buzz.
Production biomass agronomist Emily Heaton is touting the
benefits of the perennial grass miscanthus. And she should know;
Heaton is one of the only people in the U.S. to have any
published research on the topic.
"You'll see more and more about this crop as time goes on,"
Heaton said. "I call it northern sugarcane. It's a great biomass
producer."
Heaton is the lead researcher of a study conducted in Illinois
on the large perennial grass that can obtain heights of more
than 12 feet. An article she published this summer in Global
Change Biology reports miscanthus produces 2.5 times more
biomass per acre than local varieties of switchgrass. The
research also shows miscanthus could potentially produce enough
ethanol to meet the nation's renewable fuel goals for 2016 by
substituting miscanthus on the land currently producing corn
grain for ethanol.
Additionally, the research shows miscanthus would require fewer
inputs, grows well in less-than-perfect soils and is able to
convert more atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbon in the soil
than corn or soybeans.
"As you go farther south in our field trials, miscanthus seems
to actually grow better despite the degradation in soil
quality," said Heaton.
One of the key advantages miscanthus has over annual crops, such
as corn, is the long growing season. When corn is being planted
in the Midwest, miscanthus has already been growing for six
weeks. And while corn and beans start shutting down by the first
of September, miscanthus grows until the first killing frost
that could be late October in Iowa and Illinois.
"This will be a key tool in the mix of plants that will be
needed to produce fuel from biomass," said Heaton. "It gives the
Midwest a high output crop that can complement other potential
sources of biofuels such as sugarcane in the south."
Heaton joined the agronomy faculty with research and extension
responsibilities at Iowa State in August after working for
Ceres, a plant genetics company in California that specializes
in biomass crops for fuel. Her research on miscanthus and other
biomass crops started as a graduate student at the University of
Illinois where she obtained her doctorate.
"The more I talked with the agronomists at Iowa State, the more
I liked the questions they were asking," said Heaton. "The focus
on developing systems was a big draw."
Heaton expects to benefit from the big picture questions being
asked at Iowa State as well as from her extensive experience
with collaborative efforts. In her previous position, she set up
field trials for switchgrass varieties at land grant
institutions across the nation.
Research on miscanthus will continue at Iowa State as part of
the crop production component of the New Century Farm biofuels
systems research. The New Century Farm is the first integrated,
sustainable biofuel and bioproduct feedstock demonstration farm
in the nation that the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
is building west of Ames.
Heaton says she wants to take advantage of the university
environment that will allow her to focus on a holistic approach
to biomass production, especially in the area of biofuels.
"If we are going to produce both feed and fuel on our crop land,
we have to start using more of the growing season," said Heaton.
"As we start creating farms dedicated to producing energy, the
big players, the petroleum companies, are going to be asking for
long-term returns on their investment. Farmers are going to have
to know a lot about their land - what areas produce well and
what will consistently grow where. It will take a well managed
mix of crops, but farmers will be rewarded for their knowledge." |
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