Breeding Switchgrass with Improved Biomass Productivity on Marginal Land for the Northeastern US

Although perennial grasses such as switchgrasses are expected to be used as a biofuel crop on marginal land there has been little to no extensive research to evaluate their performance on marginal land. Initial studies comparing switchgrass yields on marginal land vs. prime farmland found that performance across environments was not consistent and that the top performing entry is not the same on both soil types. The objectives of this research project are to: (1) Identify optimum breeding and selection techniques to identify the best performing switchgrass plants on marginal land (with low N) in Northeastern US and identify germplasm with improved performance on marginal land to use in a breeding program. (2) Identify cultivars of switchgrass with high biomass potential on marginal land (with low N) in the Northeastern US. (3) Develop new cultivars with improved biomass production on marginal land in order to optimize land use and provide a profitable biofuel crop for the North Eastern US. (4) Disseminate information to stakeholders in the industry through various outreach methods (e.g., fact sheets, presentations, internet postings, articles in trade magazines, and a workshop).

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Program Information: Advanced Research, Biobased Research

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $72261.00
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  Department of Transportation
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Johnson, Shawn

• Performing Organizations:

  Rutgers University, New Brunswick

  New Brunswick, NJ  United States  08901
• Principal Investigators:

  Bonos, Stacy

• Start Date: 20080901
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20100831
• Source Data: RiP Project 25212

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternate fuels; Biomass fuels; Energy conservation; Farming; Grasses; Information dissemination; Research projects
• Uncontrolled Terms: Switch grass
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01572268
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Northeast Sun Grant Institute
• Files: RIP
• Created Date: Aug 4 2015 1:02AM