Michael Blazier is familiar with growing trees. As an LSU AgCenter forestry researcher, he has been involved in many timber-related projects that have helped determine the most efficient methods for producing quality lumber. Now, he is working on growing switchgrass, a fast-growing native plant that shows promise as a biofuel feedstock.
“Switchgrass is native to nearly the entirety of North America. In Louisiana, it is native to the Cajun prairie ecosystem,” Blazier said. Switchgrass can be grown on marginal lands that are not as productive for typical row crops, such as soybeans or corn. It also needs less fertilizer and is tolerant of both flooding and drought.
Blazier was taking switchgrass samples in a field near Archibald in Richland Parish with scientists from the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas-Monticello. The samples were to help determine switchgrass yields on various plots.
“Yields vary depending on the quality of the land it’s being grown on and the amount of inputs, such as fertilization. We’ve had yields as high as 10 dry tons per acre with only one application of fertilizer on these marginal lands that were idled for producing crops like soybeans due to their low yields,” Blazier said.
In research conducted at the LSU AgCenter Hill Farm Research Station near Homer in Claiborne Parish, Blazier has been working on growing switchgrass among pine trees. This system would give the landowner revenue from switchgrass as a biofuel and trees for lumber.
From The Delta Farm Press: https://deltafarmpress.com/management/scientists-study-potential-value-switchgrass-louisiana