Recurring seasonal wetnessat the S1 field site (Ithaca,NY) has allowed onlyoccasional haying ormowing for over 50 years,despite earlier surfacedrainage measures. Prior toplowing & planting in 2011,plant cover included legacyreed canarygrass, othergrasses and forbs. Onemain tile drain with severallaterals were installed in2011 to facilitate harvestoperations

Carbon Sequestration and Gaseous Emissions in Perennial Grass Bioenergy Cropping Systems in the Northeastern USA Research Project under the USDA-NIFA Sustainable Bioenergy Program

Brian Richards*, Cathelijne Stoof, Cedric Mason, Srabani Das, Ryan Crawford, Julie Hansen, Hilary Mayton, Jamie Crawford, Tammo Steenhuis, Todd Walter, Don Viands

Goal & Objectives

Unique Northeast Bioenergy Potential

Project Team

Secondary Field SitePrimary Field Site

Cornell Investigators &Researchers Brian Richards, Cathelijne Stoof, Cedric Mason, SrabaniDas, Tammo Steenhuis, Todd Walter, Larry Geohring (Department ofBiological & Environmental Engineering’s Soil & Water Group), RyanCrawford, Jamie Crawford, Julie Hansen, Hilary Mayton, Don Viands(Section of Plant Breeding & Genetics), and a host of dedicatedundergrad assistants and volunteers.Collaborators Ben Ballard (SUNY Morrisville), Jon Warland (University ofGuelph), Gail Wilson (Oklahoma State), R. Mike Miller (Argonne NationalLab), Paul Richards (SUNY Brockport), Esperanza Huerta (ECOSUR),James Burtis (Natural Resources), Shawn Kenaley (Plant Pathology).Switchgrass seed donated by Ernst Conservation Seeds.

Goal Assess environmental impacts of bioenergy production onwetness-prone marginal soils: crop response, soil carbon (C) trends,and soil emission impacts for switchgrass (Panicum virgatumShawnee) and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea Bellevue).• Field-scale monitoring to determine effect of species, nitrogen

fertilizer, and soil moisture regime on biomass yield, soil Csequestration, and nitrous oxide (N2O) & methane (CH4) emissions

• Develop spatial tools to scale up field results to help predict yieldsand impacts of marginal soil bioenergy production in the NE US

Collaborative Work & New Initiatives

• Soil moisture regime (soil drainage class)constitutes a primary variable, so detailedcharacterization is important

• Assessed using 80 sampling subplots alongnatural soil moisture gradients (5 per strip);laid out using 2011 soil moisture survey.

• Soil wetness status is monitored via periodicmeasurements of TDR soil moisture andshallow well (1.2m) water table levels.

• Subplots are grouped into wetness quintilesvia cumulative ratios of subplot soil watercontent/water table depths relative to fieldaverages.

Soil coring at subplots

• Good establishment in 2011, but abnormallywarm spring of 2012 led to too-earlyswitchgrass emergence; severe stand lossesfrom subsequent hard freeze

• Reseeded switchgrass 2012; needed yearlyglyphosate sprays to control resurgent reedcanarygrass in switchgrass

• 2014 saw significantly increasing switchgrassyields and dominance

• Continued switchgrass improvement visiblein 2015; possible N yield response

• Reed canarygrass (single cut per year)appears vulnerable to broadleaf competitionin 2015

This project is funded by USDA/NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant number2010-03869, with additional Federal Capacity funds provided through Cornell University’sCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Projects NYC123486 and NYC123426.

• Neighboring S2 site• Mature switchgrass stand (Shawnee, established 2008)• Three-series soil drainage catena (top, mid and bottom slope)• Three N rates (0, 56, 112 kg/ha); 9 soil x N rate subplots• Intensive 36-chamber emission campaigns run in 2013-2014• Tracking of soil health indicators 2012-2014• 2013-2014 yields were consistent; strong N response

No-till reseeding 2012

Emissions are monitored at S1 with a coupled approach:• Chamber campaigns on subplots determine crop and

moisture regime effects on CH4 and N2O fluxes - Large 120-chamber monthly campaigns- Supplemental smaller targeted campaigns

• Field-scale eddy covariance for temporal N2O trends• Unsurprisingly, N2O peaks follow N fertilization

2014 Harvest

Many idled/abandoned marginal lands in the region are suited for low-intensity perennial grasses and willow productionHowever, the research base on production and environmental impacts on marginal soils of the region is thin

• Abundant water and marginal land resources• Close proximity between production and use• Compatibility with existing farm systems• Multiple end uses for feedstocks

Section of Plant Breeding and Genetics

S1 treatment map sixteen 0.4-ha strip plots, 4x randomized complete blocks

Soil Moisture Regime & Hydrology

S1 subplots map

Weir for monitoring combined surface & drain flow

S1 is a near-ideal hydrologic source area with a rapid runoff response when saturated.

Quintile classes for soil moisture & shallow water

table levels

N2O & CH4 Emissions

• Preplow year 1 and year 5 soil coring at subplot level (7depth intervals to 120 cm) for soil total C and rootbiomass.

• Question for 2015: is there evidence of switchgrass rootpenetration of dense subsoil/fragipan?

• Annual Ap (0-15 cm plow layer) Soil Health Array (viaFederal capacity funding): soil OM, active C, availablewater content, aggregate stability, NPK analysis

Soil C & Soil Health Indicators

Crop establishment & yields

2014 S2 Harvest

Intensive soil survey showssite is dominated bysomewhat poorly- (light blue)to poorly-drained (dark blue)soils, due to heavy soiltexture and slightly concavetopography (right)

Switchgrass(no N)

Switchgrass+ 74 kgN/ha

Reed Canarygrass+74 kgN/ha

Fallow Control

Chamber sampling

Eddy covariance system for continuous N2O flux analysis

S1 Chamber Fluxes: N2O - 2014 S1 Chamber Fluxes: CH4 - 2013

S1switchgrass, July 2015

Fall 2014

Hyphal ingrowth bag for commensal switchgrassmycorrhizae and root morphology study at S2 with GailWilson (Oklahoma State) & Mike Miller (Argonne NL)

One of 54 soil monoliths collected for 2014study on S1 earthworm abundance anddiversity as affected by crop treatment andwetness status, with Esperanza Huerta(ECOSUR) & James Burtis (Natural Resources)

Establishing new 0.2-haplots (Q&R) of miscanthus(Miscanthus x giganteus)at S1 in 50+ year fallow

S1 RCG 2015

*Project Director – email bkr2@cornell.edu

S2 Nitrogen response July 2015

112 0 56 kg/ha

Summer scholar Logan Rohr scouting for switchgrass smut with Shawn Kenaley(Plant Pathology)

Additional collaboration is strongly encouraged

Soil carbonmineralization

incubations, with PLFA, MBC and δ13 C studies (S. Das & J. Lehmann)