Biomass Studies

Plant Materials Centers in Pullman, Washington, Aberdeen, Idaho and Lockeford, California are working with university scientists and the USDA Agricultural Research Service to evaluate previous and recently released plants from their respective centers as future biofuel crops in the western United States. The Big Flats Plant Materials Center, Corning, NY in cooperation with the State University of New York, Syracuse, tested hybrid poplar selections for growth and other biofuel qualities as an energy source for the northeastern United States.

The East Texas Plant Materials Center and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas are evaluating the biofuel qualities of black locust, green ash, sweetgum, sycamore, cottonwood and loblolly pine in a short rotational woody cropping system. The Aberdeen (ID) PMC is evaluating accessions of poplar for production potential.

In an on-going effort to establish the best management practice for maximizing yield and biomass quality of ‘Alamo’ switchgrass, the Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center in Coffeeville, Mississippi compared a one (early fall) and two harvest (mid summer and early fall) system. Their study found a one harvest system consistently produces higher yields than the two harvest system (9.4 vs. 7.5 tons/acre) in northern Mississippi.

Plant Materials Centers - Information regarding ongoing research and studies being done by NRCS Plant Materials Centers