Poultry Litter Effects On Switchgrass and Sorghum Biomass Yield and Macronutrient Removal.

Poultry litter is a waste material from a localized animal industry which could serve as a useful nutrient resource for biomass feedstock production.  Little is known, however, of the yield response of biomass crops to poultry litter, nutrient uptake and removal, and longer term effects on soil test levels of nutrients. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), biomass sorghum and sweet sorghum [both Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moensch.] were tested for yield and nutrient removal for 3 yr after receiving 0, 112, or 224 kg/ha per yr of total nitrogen from poultry litter (actual rates of 0, and approximately 3.36 and 6.72 Mg/ha per yr, respectively). Plots were established in 2007 in Fayetteville, AR, and Haskell, OK, with 'Alamo' and NSL 2001-1 switchgrass, 'Hybrid 1990' biomass sorghum, and 'M-81' sweet sorghum. The sorghum crops were replanted each year into tilled seedbeds. Data will be presented for production years 2008-2010.