U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Soil and Water Management Research: St. Paul, MN
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                                    Software
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Midwest Area St. Paul, Minnesota Soil and Water Management Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            CAMARGO, GUSTAVO - Pennsylvania State Universityitem
                                            Feyereisen, Garyitem
                                            BAXTER, RYAN - Pennsylvania State Universityitem
                                            Baker, Johnitem
                                            RICHARD, TOM - Pennsylvania State University
  Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
                                    Publication Type: Abstract Only
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2011
                                    Publication  Date: N/A
                                    Citation: N/AInterpretive Summary:
                                Technical Abstract: Interest in renewable energy sources derived from plant biomass is increasing, raising concern over fuel versus food competition.  One strategy to produce additional cellulosic biomass without reducing food-harvest potential is to grow winter cover crops after harvest of the primary summer crop. This study estimates biomass accumulation of a fall-planted winter rye double crop over the eastern half of the United States on corn – soybean croplands. We identify corn and soybean acreages by county using USDA NASS data and exclude irrigated land and acreage already supporting a winter small grain crop. We calculate biomass production after corn harvest and prior to the subsequent corn or soybean crop for 30 locations within the identified region with RyeGro, a cover crop simulation model developed for this purpose. Average RyeGro biomass yields for a 23-year period for the 30 locations are used to develop a regression model based on temperature and precipitation. The regression model is then used to determine rye biomass potential in each county. The spatial analysis of crop land indicates that 18.4 million ha in continuous corn rotation and 78.2 million ha in a corn-soybean rotation are suitable for producing winter rye. The modeling results project that from 151 to 194 million Mg of rye biomass, with an energy content of 2600 to 3400 PJ, can be harvested from this land base when the rye is harvested fourteen to seven days prior to spring crop planting, respectively. The study demonstrates the sizable potential for this strategy to produce cellulosic biofuel without redirecting the primary food crop to fuel.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov