Ten cultivars of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) of northern and southern origins that had demonstrated adaptation to North Dakota were evaluated for biomass production, cellulose concentration, and nutritive value in the southern Canadian prairie region: Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In this region, cultivars adapted to northern latitudes present interest for biomass production. Latitude of origin of the cultivars was positively correlated to stand density ( , ), biomass production ( , ), and cellulose ( , ), and negatively correlated with organic matter digestibility ( , ) and N ( , ). Dacotah and ND 3743, the northern origin cultivars, were more persistent in Brandon, MB (94 to 100% stand density) and exhibited higher cellulose and hemicellulose concentrations than southern cultivars. Southern cultivars produced higher biomass than northern-origin cultivars until they suffered significant stand and biomass decline. Cave-in-Rock, the southern origin cultivar, did not persist in the third year after seeding. However, southern-adapted cultivars exhibited better nutritive value for grazing cattle. We conclude that switchgrass production in the southern Canadian prairie should utilize the USA cultivars from northern latitudes or adapted Canadian cultivars should be developed. 1. Introduction Rising world energy demand and government policies to increase secure domestic supplies of energy in North America have created interest in ethanol for automotive fuels. Biomass crops that can be converted to ethanol biofuel by enzymatic digestion and fermentation or thermochemical conversion of plant cellulose and hemicellulose polymers to ethanol in large-scale biorefineries have been identified [1]. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm-season (C4) grass species native to the tallgrass prairie region of North America including the southern Canadian prairie. Generally, warm-season grass species can be moved about 300？miles north or 200？miles south of their original location [2]. This grass has been studied for lignocellulosic biomass conversion to fuel-grade ethanol in USA, but the southern Canadian prairie region is its northern limit of adaptation. Cultivation of switchgrass in this region will require cultivars adapted to northern latitudes. Northern ecotypes have a longer winter dormant period with better winter survival than southern ecotypes when grown at the same latitude [3]. The attributes of switchgrass for a biomass crop include its yield potential, longevity, water use and nutrient use efficiency, and suitability for marginal land. Switchgrass has
References
[1]
M. A. Sanderson, P. R. Adler, A. A. Boateng, M. D. Casler, and G. Sarath, “Switchgrass as a biofuels feedstock in the USA,” Canadian Journal of Plant Science, vol. 86, no. 5, pp. 1315–1325, 2006.
[2]
J. Kaiser and S. Bruckerhoff, “Switchgrass for biomass production by variety selection and establishment methods for Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa,” Agronomy Technical Note 35, 2009.
[3]
K. A. Cassida, J. P. Muir, M. A. Hussey, J. C. Read, B. C. Venuto, and W. R. Ocumpaugh, “Biomass yield and stand characteristics of switchgrass in south central U.S. environments,” Crop Science, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 673–681, 2005.
[4]
J. D. Berdahl, A. B. Frank, J. M. Krupinsky, P. M. Carr, J. D. Hanson, and H. A. Johnson, “Biomass yield, phenology, and survival of diverse switchgrass cultivars and experimental strains in western North Dakota,” Agronomy Journal, vol. 97, no. 2, pp. 549–555, 2005.
[5]
D. A. Tober, W. Kuckwitz, N. Jensen, and M. Knudson, Switchgrass Biomass Trials in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Materials Center, Bismarck, ND, USA, 2007.
[6]
I. C. Madakadze, K. Stewart, P. R. Peterson, B. E. Coulman, and D. L. Smith, “Switchgrass biomass and chemical composition for biofuel in eastern Canada,” Agronomy Journal, vol. 91, no. 4, pp. 696–701, 1999.
[7]
P. G. Jefferson, W. P. McCaughey, K. May, J. Woosaree, L. McFarlane, and S. M. B. Wright, “Performance of American native grass cultivars in the Canadian prairie provinces,” Native Plants Journal, vol. 3, pp. 24–33, 2002.
[8]
P. G. Jefferson, W. P. McCaughey, K. May, J. Woosaree, and L. McFarlane, “Potential utilization of native prairie grasses from western Canada as ethanol feedstock,” Canadian Journal of Plant Science, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 1067–1075, 2004.
[9]
K. N. Ayres, D. R. Acton, and J. G. Ellis, The Soils of the Swift Current Map Area (72？J), Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science & Technology Pedalingl, Saskatchewan, Canada, 1985.
[10]
J. Alderson and W. C. Sharp, Grass Varieties in the United States, Agriculture Handbook 170, United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 1994.
[11]
R. G. D. Steel, J. H. Torrie, and D. A. Dickey, Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach, McGraw-Hill Book, New York, NY, USA, 3rd edition, 1997.
[12]
E. W. Crampton and L. A. Maynard, “The relation of cellulose and lignin content to the nutritive value of animal feeds,” Journal of Nutrition, vol. 15, pp. 383–395, 1938.
[13]
H. K. Goering and P. J. Van Soest, Forage Fiber Analysis, Agriculture Handbook 379, Agriculture Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC, USA, 1970.
[14]
J. M. A. Tilley and R. A. Terry, “A two stage technique for the in vitro digestion of forage crops,” Journal of the British Grassland Society, vol. 18, pp. 104–111, 1963.
[15]
J. E. Troelsen and D. J. Hanel, “Ruminant digestion in vitro as affected by inoculum donor, collection day, and fermentation time,” Canadian Journal of Animal Science, vol. 46, pp. 149–156, 1966.
[16]
E. D. Olfert, B. M. Cross, and A. A. McWilliam, Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, vol. 50, Canadian Council on Animal Care, Ottawa, Canada, 2nd edition, 1993.
[17]
AOAC, Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, AOAC Arlington, Virginia, Va, USA, 14th edition, 1984.
[18]
J. A. Varley, “Automatic methods for the determination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in plant material,” The Analyst, vol. 91, no. 1079, pp. 119–126, 1966.
[19]
R. O. Miller, “Nitric-perchloric acid wet digestion in an open vessel,” in Handbook of Reference Methods for Plant Analysis, Y. P. Kalra, Ed., pp. 57–61, CRC Press, 1998.
[20]
SAS Institute, JMP Statistics and Graphics Guide. Version 3. 2, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA, 1995.
M. D. Casler, K. P. Vogel, C. M. Taliaferro et al., “Latitudinal and longitudinal adaptation of switchgrass populations,” Crop Science, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 2249–2260, 2007.
[23]
D. A. Tober and A. D. Chamrad, “Warm-season grasses in the Northern Great Plains,” Rangelands, vol. 14, pp. 227–230, 1992.
[24]
M. D. Casler, K. P. Vogel, C. M. Taliaferro, and R. L. Wynia, “Latitudinal adaptation of Switchgrass Populations,” Crop Science, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 293–303, 2004.
[25]
M. D. Casler and A. R. Boe, “Cultivar x Environment interactions in switchgrass,” Crop Science, vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 2226–2233, 2003.
[26]
A. Boe and D. L. Beck, “Yield components of biomass in switchgrass,” Crop Science, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 1306–1311, 2008.
[27]
P. J. Van Soest, Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant, O&B Books, Corvallis, Ore, USA, 1982.
[28]
D. C. Church, Livestock Feeds and Feeding, O&B Books, Corvallis, Ore, USA, 1977.
[29]
G. Bélanger and J. E. Richards, “Relationship between P and N concentrations in timothy,” Canadian Journal of Plant Science, vol. 79, no. 1, pp. 65–70, 1999.
