Broadleaved Herbaceous Crops with Potential for Biomass Production in the Temperate U.S.

The US government in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 has mandated that 60.5 billion liters of advanced biofuels are to come from cellulosic sources in the near future. Moreover, the U.S. Department of EnergyÕs Billion-Ton Update: Bioenergy Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry predicts that the temperate regions of the USA will contribute much cellulosic feedstock. In this poster, the authors focus on the results of field research that is evaluating broadleaved herbaceous plants in central Illinois and the potential these crops have to contribute to the production of advanced biofuels in the future. Featured are Helianthus grosseserratus (sawtooth sunflower), Sida hermaphrodita (Virginia fanpetals), Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant), Solidago gigantea (late goldenrod), and Vernonia gigantea (giant ironweed). Growth characteristics is presented for each of these crops. Dry biomass yields for second-year plants at the conclusion of the 2011 growing season were 4.4, 2.7, 7.0, 5.2, and 1.4 dry Mg ha-1 for Helianthus grosseserratus, Sida hermaphrodita, Silphium perfoliatum, Solidago gigantea, and Vernonia gigantea, respectively.