1. Mississippi Feedstocks Research Dept. of Plant and Soil Science
Brian Baldwin
Dept. of Plant and Soil Science

2. Focus Crops Dry Harvested, truly deciduous Wet harvested Switchgrass
Giant miscanthus (Mxg) – yields are twice swtg
Wet harvested
Sweet sorghum (sugar and bagasse)
Energycane (some sugar and whole stalk)
Inclusion of Mississippi cultivars
Napiergrass (elephantgrass) – de-emphasized

3. Switchgrass
7-10 T/A
Giant Miscanthus
18-20 T/A

5. Standability

6. Sweet sorghum
8-12 T/A
Naipergrass
0-19 T/A
Energycane
5-23 T/A

7. End of Season Harvest 2008 Tonnage
Tons/A (front columns) Mg/ha (back columns)

8. Wood
Still the primary feedstock for existing and new EtOH and syngas plants
Can we provide grass between trees as they are regenerating (co-culture).
What are the potential effects on each crop?
What are the economics of the expected yield compromise?

9. Establishment Like real estate, its all about three things
Establishment, establishment, establishment
Need herbicides that work for switchgrass
pre- especially
Need herbicides we can use in Mxg

10. Low Seed
Dormancy
Herbicide Resistance
Seed Safener

11. Land Resources Land for biomass crops will NOT come from row crop land
Land will come from hill country where it can serve as a (soil) conservation incentive

12. Land Resources Land will come from CRP and pasture
What will be the method of conversion?
Can we convert from existing CRP and pasture land?
Develop establishment techniques to enable swtg proliferation in mixed stands

13. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
Track N cycling in the plant

14. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
Associative dinitrogen fixation
Association of micro-organisms in and around the crop roots

15. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
Winter legumes (perennial or annual) as a source of nitrogen
Must be timed with harvest

16. Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs
Organics/carbon sequestration over time

17. Use of By-products Char
Syngas and biooil plants getting 250,000 lbs of feedstock a day will generate volumes of this.
Will application to soil affect nutrient availability?
Can we create terra preta nova ?
Will it be advantageous?

18. Co-ordination with Feds.
DoE and its derivatives (INL, NREL, ORNL)
Characterization of factors that affect quality of biomass
Weathering effects on structural carbohydrates
Fertilizer source (esp Cl- and SO4-2)
Soil type and luxury consumption of soil minerals
Species effects on structural carbohydrates
Cultivar (esp. Forestburg)
USDA (ARS and NRCS)