Native Warm Season Perennial Grass Bioenergy Experiment 1999
Experimental design:
Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five levels of nitrogen, three management strategies (number of treatment combination fifteen), number of replication four, and total experimental units sixty. The three management strategies include: (A) Single harvest (dry) just after completion winter and before onset of spring, (B) Double harvests; first during summer (green) followed by winter (dry) and, (C) Multiple harvests (green) during growing season
History of the site:
The experimental site was established as simulated ground for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP land) in 1999. The site was introduced with nine different prairies (i.e. deep-rooted warm-season perennials) and left undisturbed for ten-year as it normally happens with the CRP land agreement. During ten-year period, four out of nine species died out from the system (i.e. rup wildflower mix-RUMW019, sand lovegrass, sideoats gramma-EL RENO). Current species and their composition are presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Change in species composition (1999-2009)
|
Species |
Composition (%) |
|
Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) |
40 |
|
Eastern Gamma Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides) |
30 |
|
Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) |
15 |
|
Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum) |
10 |
|
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) |
05 |
Hybrid Willow Tree Variety Trial
Planted in 2010 this a type of bioenergy. After the first two years the tree is cut so that the tree sends out new shoots becomning more bush like.
Miscanthus Trials
Giant Reed Grass (arundo donax)
Planted in the fall on 2012 this a new trial for us. Bellow is a picture of what giant reed grass looks like, check in with us later for more information on this new experiment.
Continuous Cover Cropping & Tillage Experiment
This is a long term project for us at OSU South Centers in Piketon. The Continuous Cover Cropping & Till trial has been established at Piketon since 2004. The purpose of this project is to improve soil quality with the help of a continuous cover crop. We have created 4 different types of treatment plots.
- Continuous Conventional Tillage Corn
- Reduced Tillage Corn- Soybean (tillage for Corn - no-till for Soybean)
- Continuous no-till Corn
- No-till for continuous cropping (NT-Wheat→NT-Cowpeas→NT-Corn→NT-Rye: Bushhog Rye in April→NT-Soybeans→NT-Wheat)
