1. Agro-energy efforts & progress at UF-IFAS Hastings Partnership - 2008 J. Breman, S. Taylor, D. Dinkins, T. Donovan, and E. Redden

2. Critical Regional Issue –Large vegetable & potato growers need additional revenue stream –County commissioners & engineers need to know if an ethanol plant can be sustained with sufficient biofuel feedstocks in the tri-county region Putnam St. Johns Flagler

3. Why Sorghum? Already used by farmers in the tri-county area as a cover crop between vegetable seasons: –Estimated 25,000 - 40,000 acres –Capture residual nitrogen fertilizer –Protect water quality – Maintain soil organic matter

4. Potential for Other Uses High yield potential – Ratoon crop possible High water use efficiency Efficient use of nitrogen Multiple use cultivars exist now – Grain – Sugar – Cellulose

5. Sorghum Biofuel Options Grain (milo) sorghum cultivars –Amylase + yeast = ethanol –By product = ruminant feed (brewers grains)

6. Sorghum Biofuel Options Syrup (sweet) sorghum cultivars –Sugar extraction + yeast = ethanol –Bagasse by-product burned in boiler or fed into the cellulosic process stream

7. Sorghum Biofuel Options Forage and day-neutral sorghum cultivars Cellulosic –Lignocellulose + enzymes = sugars –sugars + gmo’s and yeast = ethanol

8. UF-IFAS Sorghum Research: Belle Glade AREC (Dr. Zane Helsel, visiting) –Sweet sorghum variety trials –Goal is to maximize sugar yield/acre Microbiology Department (Dr. Lonnie Ingram) –Goal is maximize cellulose to sugar conversion using GMO’s (enzymes) Agronomy Department (Dr. Wilfred Vermerris) –Brown midrib mutants for high cellulose digestibility –Inbred lines with high yields of fermentable sugars

9. Hastings Sugar Research Which Nitrogen rates to apply? Which cultivars to plant? Which stage of growth to harvest? Would topping the plant increase sugar?

10. Hastings Sugar Yield Research

11. Hastings Sugar Yield – 2007 Results No significant difference between intermediate & high nitrogen rates M-81E highest sugar yield, Dale second highest sugar yield (interaction-dependent) Stage of growth X nitrogen X cultivar interactions maximized sugar yield Topping did not significantly increase sugar yields

12. Topped to prevent bloom development – soft dough stage Cultivar67 lbs N/acre112 lbs N/acre150 lbs N/acre SX-17 242 373 NK300 79810261218 WGF 308 353 238 M81E245837704778 Dale194025942535 Not topped to prevent bloom development –soft dough Cultivar67 lbs N/acre112 lbs N/acre150 lbs N/acre SX-17431514 690 NK300132814101321 WGF155 308 182 M81E413855036000 Dale373745714479

13. Soft dough stage -not topped to prevent bloom dev. Cultivar67 lbs N/acre112 lbs N/acre150 lbs N/acre SX-17431514690 NK300132814101321 WGF155308182 M81E413855036000 Dale373745714479 Hard dough stage - not topped to prevent bloom dev. Cultivar67 lbs N/acre112 lbs N/acre150 lbs N/acre SX-17na NK300335315224 WGF13212568 M81E423665584973 Dale402543275391

14. Hastings Grain Research

15. Hastings Grain Research – 2007 Results Low N rate = 22 bushels/acre Intermediate N rate = 25 bushels/acre High N rate = 27 bushels/acre

16. Hastings Additional Research – Sugar Yield in 2008 Nitrogen study following potato harvest Elite breeding lines and collected germplasm (Dr. Vermerris, cooperator) Disease study (Dr. Gevens, cooperator) Commercial planting demonstration

17. Hastings Additional Research – Grain Yield in 2008 Elite breeding lines and collected germplasm (Dr. Vermerris, cooperator) Commercial planting demonstration

18. Sorghum Reference: Rooney, W.L. 2006. Designing sorghum as a dedicated bioenergy crop. Texas A&M University.