TY - JOUR
T1 - Management of Sweet Sorghum for Biomass Production
AU - Bonin, Catherine L.
AU - Heaton, Emily A.
AU - Cogdill, Todd J.
AU - Moore, Kenneth J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant No. 2011-68005-30411 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and by the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Society for Sugar Research & Promotion.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/4/1
Y1 - 2016/4/1
N2 - Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] has been suggested as a biofuel feedstock due to its high productivity, low N requirements, and drought tolerance but little data exist on its management in the Midwestern US Corn Belt. In 2005 and 2006 in central Iowa, USA, plots were seeded with ‘Top 76-6’ sweet sorghum on three dates; late May, early June, and late June, at rates of 4.5, 11.2, and 17.9 kg ha−1 with row widths of 20, 38, and 76 cm, and fertilized at either 84 or 168 kg N ha−1 to determine how sweet sorghum yield and plant composition respond to changes in management. Yields were highest when sweet sorghum was planted in 20 cm row widths in late May (26.3 Mg ha−1) or early June (29.0 Mg ha−1). Several plant carbohydrates were affected by seeding date in 2005, but not 2006. Theoretical ethanol yields averaged 10,616 and 11,408 L ha−1 in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and were highest when sweet sorghum was planted earlier in the season and in narrow rows. In contrast, N fertilization and seeding rate had few impacts on sweet sorghum growth, biomass yield or ethanol potential. Based on these results, sweet sorghum in Iowa should be planted in May or June in 20 cm rows at a low to moderate seeding rate and a low N fertilization rate.
AB - Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] has been suggested as a biofuel feedstock due to its high productivity, low N requirements, and drought tolerance but little data exist on its management in the Midwestern US Corn Belt. In 2005 and 2006 in central Iowa, USA, plots were seeded with ‘Top 76-6’ sweet sorghum on three dates; late May, early June, and late June, at rates of 4.5, 11.2, and 17.9 kg ha−1 with row widths of 20, 38, and 76 cm, and fertilized at either 84 or 168 kg N ha−1 to determine how sweet sorghum yield and plant composition respond to changes in management. Yields were highest when sweet sorghum was planted in 20 cm row widths in late May (26.3 Mg ha−1) or early June (29.0 Mg ha−1). Several plant carbohydrates were affected by seeding date in 2005, but not 2006. Theoretical ethanol yields averaged 10,616 and 11,408 L ha−1 in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and were highest when sweet sorghum was planted earlier in the season and in narrow rows. In contrast, N fertilization and seeding rate had few impacts on sweet sorghum growth, biomass yield or ethanol potential. Based on these results, sweet sorghum in Iowa should be planted in May or June in 20 cm rows at a low to moderate seeding rate and a low N fertilization rate.
KW - Biofuel
KW - Biomass
KW - Planting date
KW - Planting width
KW - Seed rate
KW - Sweet sorghum
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U2 - 10.1007/s12355-015-0377-y
DO - 10.1007/s12355-015-0377-y
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84959504537
VL - 18
SP - 150
EP - 159
JO - Sugar Tech
JF - Sugar Tech
SN - 0972-1525
IS - 2
ER -