Short Rotation Woody Crops Research at the
University of Illinois – Gary J. Kling, Thomas B. Voigt, Michael C.
Dietze, David S. LeBauer, Sarah C. Davis, Evan H. Delucia, J. Ryan Stewart and
Anthony Bratsch
Main Projects
• Novel woody plant evaluation as Short Rotation Crops for Biomass
• Salix germplasm from the State University of New York – ESF
• Populus germplasm from US Forest Service (Rhinelander) and
Iowa State University
• Populus germplasm from University of Minnesota Duluth - NRRI
• Pterocarya stenoptera – Chinese Wingnut
Novel Woody Plant Evaluation as Short
Rotation Biomass Crops – Experiment 1
• Evaluation of species other than Salix, Populus and Pinus for short
rotation production
• Diversification and expansion of bioenergy research at the
University of Illinois
Novel Woody Plants
– Selection criteria
• Fast growing in terms of biomass accumulation – not necessarily
fast in terms of height or stem elongation
• Coppicing ability
• Adaptability to our environment
• Emphasis on native species – but include some introduced
• Non-invasive
• USDA data-base
• Lack of major limiting pest and disease problems
• Availability
• Committee decision
Novel Woody Plant Evaluation
Acer rubrum
Acer saccharinum
Alnus incana tenuifolia
Betula nigra
Castanea dentata x moll.
Catalpa speciosa
Celtis occidentalis
Cornus sanguinea
Corylus americana
Cotinus obovatus
Ilex decidua
Red maple
Silver maple
Thinleaf alder
River birch
Hybrid chestnut
Northern catalpa
Common hackberry
Bloodtwig dogwood
American filbert
American smoketree
Possumhaw
Novel Woody Plant Evaluation
Liquidambar styraciflua
Liriodendron tulipifera
Maclura pomifera
Platanus occidentalis
Populus deltoides
Prunus serotina
Quercus coccinea
Rhus copallinum
Robinia pseudoacacia
Salix x ‘9871-31’ – SUNY
American sweetgum
Tuliptree
Osage-orange
Sycamore
Eastern cottonwood
Black cherry
Scarlet oak
Flameleaf sumac
Black locust
Sherburne willow
Researchers
Faculty
Post-Docs and Affiliates
• Evan Delucia
• Michael Dietze
• Gary Kling
• Stephen Long
• Ryan Stewart
• Tom Voigt
• Anthony Bratsch
• Sarah Davis
• Xiaohui Feng
• David LeBauer
• Dan Wang
Novel Woody Plant Evaluation
Experiment 1.
• 21 species, 5 replications in a RCB, 16 trees/rep, plus double border
row surrounding each experimental unit = 4550 trees
• Trees planted on 5’ x 6’ spacing to accommodate mechanical plot
harvester
• Experiment size = 4.2 A (1.7 HA)
• Alfalfa cover crop between rows within blocks
• Erosion and weed control, N-fixation
• Tall fescue cover crop surrounding each block
• Erosion control
Novel Woody Plants
Block 2
→
↓
Block 3
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4←
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1←
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
25' wide alley
→
3→
↓
Harvest direction
Novel Woody Plant Protocol
• Two-year-old seedlings planted spring 2010
• Preemergence herbicides, glyphosate, mowing to control weeds
• Grow for 1-2 seasons
• Cut back to induce coppicing
• Grow for 3-5-year harvest cycle
• Collect growth and environmental data
Novel Woody Plant Data
• Height
• Photosynthetic efficiency
• Caliper
• Transpiration rate
• Initial dieback
• Leaf N content
• Shoot growth
• Leaf C isotope ratios
• Location of bud scale scars
(annual growth)
• Water use efficiency
• Leaf numbers
• Soil carbon content
• Leaf area
• Soil nutrients
• Coppice stem density
• Insects
• Biomass
• Diseases
• Soil gas exchange
• Other pests
SUNY Willows
Experiment 2
• Cooperative project with SUNY-ESF at 6 locations around the US
• Evaluation of Salix germplasm from SUNY breeding program
– T. Volk
• 20 clones, 78 cuttings/clone/block, 4 reps in RCB = 6240 trees; 1.25A
(0.5HA)
• Plants arrived this spring as dormant hardwood cuttings to be
direct-stuck in the field
• Very specific and standardized experimental layout to allow for
data to be merged from multiple locations
SUNY Willows
Clone ID
SX61
SX64
SV1
9882-34 (Fish Creek)
9871-31 (Sherburne)
9980-005 (Oneida)
99202-011 (Tully Champion)
99113-012 (Onondaga)
99217-015 (Millbrook)
99207-018 (Owasco)
9970-036 (Canastota)
Parentage
S. sachalinensis
S. miyabeana
S. dasyclados
S. purpurea
S. sachalinensis x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea x S. miyabeana
S. viminalis x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea
S. purpurea x S. miyabeana
S. viminalis x S. miyabeana
S. sachalinensis x S. miyabeana
SUNY Willows-2
Clone ID
99201-007 (Otisco)
9882-41 (Wolcott)
9870-01 (Cicero)
99217-023 (Saratoga)
99202-004 (Fabius)
99207-020
99202-043
99208-038
01X-268-015 (Preble)
Parentage
S. viminalis x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea
S. sachalinensis x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea x S. miyabeana
S. purpurea x S. miyabeana
S. viminalis x (S. sachalinensis x S. miyab.)
SUNY Willow Experiment Protocol
• Direct stick cuttings early spring
• Clean cultivated with cover crop surrounding plots
• Oxyfluorfen (Goal 2XL) at 1 lb ai/A.
• Touchup weeding via glyphosate and hoe
• Willows to be grown for 1 season
• Cut back to induce coppicing
• Grow for 3 years until harvest
• Collecting similar growth data as for poplars
US Forest Service – Iowa St. U.
Poplars – Experiment 3
• 23 clones received as dormant hardwood cuttings from US
Forest Service (Ron Zalesny) August 2009
• Cuttings rooted, grown under extended photoperiod in
greenhouse until late fall
• Trees transferred to unheated greenhouse in early winter and
allowed to go dormant
• Trees planted to field this spring
• 5 clones from ISU (Rick Hall’s program) received April 2010
US Forest Service – Iowa St. U.
Poplar Experiment
• 4 reps in RCB with 10 plants per experimental unit
• Addition of border rows results in 1824 trees in 2.2 A (0.9 HA)
• Alfalfa cover crop within blocks and tall fescue surrounding blocks
• Weed control with trifluralin, napropamide, glyphosate and
mowing
• Plants to be evaluated in coppicing system – grow 1 year, cut to
ground and grow for 3-4 years
US Forest Service – Iowa St. U.
Poplar Data
• Typical growth data
• Height, shoot growth, caliper and dry mass
• Insect pests
• Cottonwood leaf beetle
• Japanese beetle
• Diseases
• Melampsora medusae leaf rust
• Marssonina spp. (brunnea) leaf spot
• Septoria musiva leaf spot
• Septoria canker
• Detailed growth and environmental data
• Photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, C-sequestration, leaf area, soil gas
exchange
US Forest Service – Iowa St. U.
Poplars
|
B=Border
row
Block 1
|
←
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
75'→
B
|
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
9
9
9
9
9
3
3
3
3
3
B
B
9
9
9
9
9
3
3
3
3
3
B
B
B
B
10
10
10
10
10
19
19
19
19
19
B
B
10
10
10
10
10
19
19
19
19
19
B
B
270' ↕
B
B
B
8
8
8
8
8
12
12
12
12
12
B
B
8
8
8
8
8
12
12
12
12
12
B
B
B
B
25
25
25
25
25
7
7
7
7
7
B
B
25
25
25
25
25
7
7
7
7
7
B
B
B
B
20
20
20
20
20
4
4
4
4
4
B
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
Evaluation of Improved Selections of Populus
deltoides – J. Jokela
University of Minnesota Poplars
Experiment 4
• Performance evaluation of poplar hybrids from the University of
Minnesota-Duluth Plant Breeding Program as short rotation
woody crops – Bernie McMahon and Wm. Berguson
• 61 clones, 6 plants each, received on May 15, 2010
• RCB with 6 reps of 1 plant each for 1.8 A (0.73 HA)
• Clean cultivated with Septer 70DG (2.8 oz. ai/A) with tall fescue
surrounding blocks and experiment
University of Minnesota Poplars
N↑
Block 1
Block 2
Experiment 3 US Forest Service and ISU Poplars ↑
23059 32018
99059043
22057002
9732-07
22057059
99008081
9732-24
23070 02009
99001111
23076 21006
22021018
22021008
9732-11
22091022
23079 17047
99007116
99059019
99038013
23079 17041
9732-19
9732-48
99038036
D124
99037017
9732-31
9732-06
9732-31
D113
99059016
252-4
9732-11
99038002
23057 32006
99038007
9732-36
99037051
99038036
22021048
9732-19
9732-40
99038022
22021048
99008081
41700
21400
22057006
23001 03071
9732-07
99038002
DN5
NM6
9732-18
22033013
99008070
22021008
21700
99059043
22021018
23070 02009
99001111
22021009
252-4
99105088
99038003
22021048
99059019
99037046
9732-32
99007115
22091022
D124
23079 17069
9732-31
99038007
9732-06
23079 17041
9732-19
9732-48
9732-11
99038036
22021048
9732-19
99038002
23057 32006
University of Minnesota Poplars
• Small rooted cuttings planted in May 2010
• Trees to be grown for 1 season
• Cut back to begin coppicing
• Grow for 3-4 years and harvest
• Measure height, shoot growth, stem number, stem diameter and
shoot dry mass
• Determine suitability to local environment
• Evaluate for same diseases and insects as USFS poplars
Chinese Wingnut – Pterocarya stenoptera
• 200 trees propagated from seed and grown in greenhouse over
winter
• Planted to field in April 2010
• Trees to be grown for 1 year
• Cut to ground to begin coppicing
• Grow for 3-4 years and harvest
• Measure height, stem number, stem diameter and shoot mass
Chinese Wingnut –
Pterocarya
stenoptera
Chinese Wingnut –
Pterocarya
stenoptera
Walnut family (Juglandaceae)
Miscanthus and Switchgrass Productivity on a
National Scale
• R. Arundale, T. Voigt, S. Long & Collaborators
Miscanthus –Switchgrass Trials
• Side by side trials
• 18 locations (10 outside Illinois)
• Georgia
- Mississippi
• Illinois (8 sites)
- New Jersey
• Kentucky
- Oklahoma
• Louisiana
- South Dakota
• Michigan
- Wisconsin
• Ontario
Commercial Seeded Miscanthus Biomass
Varieties
D. Allen, M. Campbell & A. Brune (Mendel BioEnergy Seeds, Lafayette, IN
J. Juvik, E. Anderson & T. Voigt (U. of I.)
• Collaborative project
• Development of non-invasive seeded types needed for
agronomic production systems
• Seeded vs. vegetatively propagated plant yields (Seed
produced in southern areas, plants for biomass grown in
northern areas)
Sorghum Genetics
Pat Brown
• To create improved varieties for bioenergy
• To use sorghum as a genetic model to improve other bioenergy
grasses
Dedicated Energy Crops from the
Tallgrass Prairie
D.K. Lee
• Switchgrass
• Big bluestem
• Indian grass
• Prairie cordgrass
Corn-Switchgrass Companion Cropping
M. Maughan, A. Parrish & D.K. Lee
• Corn production in early years of switchgrass establishment (1st
year yield ~150 bu./A corn along with switchgrass
establishment)
• Testing levels of nitrogen fertilizer for balance of these two
crops
Energy Sorghum Nitrogen Management
M. Maughan, A. Parrish & D.K. Lee
• Energy sorghum varieties can continue growth into late
September and often don’t flower in Illinois (10+ T/A dry matter
yields)
• Cold and/or flowering triggers the end of biomass accumulation
• Quick entrance into biomass production
• A biomass crop familiar to ag bankers
Comparing Miscanthus Genotypes for
Crop Improvement
E. Sacks and C. Kaiser
• 108 Miscanthus (ornamental) entries in 5 species
• Flowering time, height, culm diameter and biomass yield
• DNA samples with molecular markers to estimate genetic
diversity and relatedness
• Effect of harvest date and method
Prairie Forbs for Biomass Production
Anthony Bratsch, G. Kling and T. Voigt
Early sunflower
Hardy hibiscus
Glade mallow
Great coneflower
Rosin weed
Giant goldenrod
Missouri ironweed
New York ironweed
Helianthus helianthoides
Hibiscus spp.
Napaea dioica
Rudbeckia maxima
Silphium integrifolium
Solidago gigantea
Veronica missourica
Veronica noveboracensis
Prairie Forbs for Biomass Production
Anthony Bratsch, G. Kling and T. Voigt
Yellow giant hyssop
Indian hemp
Wild white indigo
Decurrant false aster
Maryland senna
Illinois tick trefoil
Giant sunflower
Maximillians sunflower
Agastache nepetoides
Apocynum cannabinum
Baptisia leucantha
Boltonia decurrens
Cassia marylandica
Desmodium illinoense
Helianthus giganteus
Helianthus maximillianii
Remote Sensing and Pre-harvest Crop
Monitoring
L. Tian & K.C. Ting
• Stand-alone tower camera in center of four 9-acre production
fields
• Data collection instrumentation within fields
• Unmanned aerial vehicle for wide area images
• Correlation of crop conditions with remote observations
Environmental Impact and Sustainability
of Feedstock Production
K. Anderson-Teixeira, Y. Mao, C. Smith, M. Zeri, M. David, M.
Berenbaum, C. Bernacchi, R. Mackie & E. DeLucia
• Miscanthus vs. Switchgrass vs. Native Prairie vs. Corn-soybean
rotation (2 yr. corn, 1 yr. soybean)
• N-pollution in runoff and leachates
• Mini-rhizotrons throughout to determine root zone growth and
development
• CO2 sequestration and soil organic carbon accumulation
• Plant-insect interactions and biodiversity
• Soil microbial communities
US Dept. of Energy/Sun Grant Herbaceous
Feedstock Partnership: Plants for Fuel
T. Voigt, E. Thomas, D. Schlumpf & A. Parrish
• Goal – to determine what we can grow to get the best yields with the
fewest inputs and least environmental damage
• Miscanthus x giganteus – T. Voigt, UI
• Switchgrass – V. Owens, SDSU
• Sorghum – W. Rooney, TAM
• Energy cane – B. Baldwin, Miss. St. U.
• CRP plantings – D.K. Lee, UI
• Survivability and biomass production
• Miscanthus sites: Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey & Virginia
• Numerous other sites (30+) around the US
Possible Insect Pests of Developing
Biomass Crops
J. Prasifka and M. Gray
• Identify insects, nematodes and plant diseases that may reduce
yields of Miscanthus, switchgrass and other biomass crops
• Test effects of environmental variables on identified pests
Laboratory and Field Evaluation of
Biomass Harvesting Machinery
P. Johnson, A. Hansen, C. Clementson, Z. Miao, T. Grift & K.C. Ting
• Evaluate performance of biomass cutting systems
• Develop novel cost-effective and energy-efficient cutting
systems
Biomass Drying and Storage
T. Iqbal, S. Eckhoff and K.C. Ting
• Technical and economic feasibility of drying bales and loose
particulates of biomass crops using forced air
• Effects of drying on end-use quality of biomass