Long-Term Yield of Giant Reed, Mimosa and Switchgrass Grown As Cellulosic Energy Crops in Alabama.

Numerous technologies that can convert cellulosic biomass into various liquid biofuels are currently under development, making production of cellulosic biomass more attractive than ever. Giant reed (Arundo donax) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) have been extensively evaluated for biomass production in southern Europe and the United States, respectively, both with very favorable results. Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) is another potential perennial, woody cellulosic energy crop with high yield potential. However, long-term (> 10 years) yield data for the three crops are lacking. Therefore, long-term experiments were conducted to determine performance of these crops in stand longevity and yield response to critical factors such as rainfall in Central Alabama. Results indicated that giant reed and mimosa provided much higher biomass yield than switchgrass in this study. Unlike traditional summer row crops such as corn, cotton and soybeans, biomass yield of the three perennial cellulosic energy crips were affected very little by drought, while yields of giant reed and mimosa increased with age.