Abstract
Elephant grass has been proposed for the energy sector as a possible source of renewable energy, because of its high biomass production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the mineral nutrients nitrogen and potassium on the morpho-agronomic traits (dry mater yield (DMY), percentage of DM (%DM), number of tillers per linear meter (NT), plant height (PH), stem diameter (SD) and leaf blade width (LW)) in different elephant grass genotypes in a randomized-block experimental treatment in a split-plot arrangement with three replications, in which the genotype factor (‘Cuban Pinda’ - G1; ‘IAC Campinas’ - G2; and ‘Cameroon’ - G3) was randomized in the plot, and the N and K factor was randomized in the sub-plot. The increase in nitrogen and potassium doses utilized influenced very little or almost did not influence the response of the three genotypes for the different morpho-agronomic traits assessed. The three genotypes had high number of tillers, height, and stem diameter at the lowest N and K doses, demonstrating a possible trend of high doses not providing a highly significant increase in these traits. The study of DMY showed that under a low nitrogen dose and with increase in potassium concentrations, dry matter yield increased; however, as the nitrogen dose increased in associated with potassium doses, dry matter yield did not augment, but was rather suppressed. The three elephant grass genotypes: ‘Cuban Pinda’, ‘IAC Campinas’, and ‘Cameroon’, had average dry yields of 52.66, 50.60, and 48.57 t ha–1, respectively. Results are highly promising and prove the possibility of using elephant grass as an alternative source for biomass production. Key words: Renewable energy, mineral nutrients, production capacity.
Highlights
The tropical-climate conditions of Brazil have characteristics that facilitate production of biomass such as sugarcane bagasse, charcoal, and wood (Rocha et al, 2015)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the mineral nutrients nitrogen and potassium on the morpho-agronomic traits (dry mater yield (DMY), percentage of percentage of whole dry matter (DM) (%DM), number of tillers per linear meter (NT), plant height (PH), stem diameter (SD) and leaf blade width (LW)) in different elephant grass genotypes in a randomized-block experimental treatment in a split-plot arrangement with three replications, in which the genotype factor (‘Cuban Pinda’ - G1; ‘IAC Campinas’ - G2; and ‘Cameroon’ - G3) was randomized in the plot, and the N and K factor was randomized in the sub-plot
The experiment was implemented as a randomized-block design, in a split-plot arrangement, with three replications, in which the genotype factor („Cuban Pinda‟ - G1; „IAC Campinas‟ - G2; and „Cameroon‟ - G3), which originated from the breeding program at UENF, was randomized in the plot, and the N and K factor, in the sub-plot
Summary
The tropical-climate conditions of Brazil have characteristics that facilitate production of biomass such as sugarcane bagasse, charcoal, and wood (Rocha et al, 2015). C4 plants, which have a high plant mass accumulation in a short period, making the use of solar energy efficient. In this regard, the Poaceae family stands out for their greater plant mass production in relation to other plants. Elephant grass is species with great photosynthetic (C4 metabolism) and dry matter accumulation capacities, which make it comparable to sugarcane (Daher et al, 2014). This grass has shown tremendous advantages in relation to the other energy sources in research conducted so far (Oliveira et al, 2013). Elephant grass is highly productive in smaller areas, has a lower production, allows total mechanization, and provides renewable energy, greater carbon assimilation, and increased productivity by increasing the applications of nitrogen and potassium (Santos et al, 2014; Woodard and Sollenberger, 2015)
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