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Reed Canary Grass (reed + canary_grass)
Selected AbstractsCutting frequency and stubble height of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.): influence on quality and quantity of biomass for biogas productionGRASS & FORAGE SCIENCE, Issue 4 2002U. Geber Abstract Reed canary grass (RCG) used for land treatment of waste water can serve as a substrate for biogas production. The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of two, three or four cuts per year to stubble heights of 5, 12·5 or 20 cm on the digestibility and yield of digestible organic matter (DOM) of RCG. Both dry-matter yield and the yield of DOM decreased with more than two cuts per year. Height of cutting had no effect on the digestibility of the regrowth harvested from the different cutting regimes. Increased height of cutting resulted in increased dry-matter production and therefore also of increased DOM yield in the regrowth harvested from the four-cut regime. The total DOM yield from the four-cut regime was, however, only 0·84 of the DOM yield from the two-cut regime. [source] Increasing the Effectiveness of Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) Control in Wet Meadow RestorationsRESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Carrie Reinhardt Adams Abstract Restoration practices are often based on trial and error or anecdotal information because data from controlled experiments are not available. In wet meadow restorations of the upper Midwest United States, Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) is controlled with spring burning and spring glyphosate herbicide applications, but the relative effectiveness of either treatment with respect to P. arundinacea growth and life history has not been assessed. We designed a multiyear field experiment to evaluate effects of burning and herbicide application timings on P. arundinacea populations. Burning did not reduce P. arundinacea biomass but reduced the P. arundinacea seed bank, potentially limiting recolonization of P. arundinacea. Glyphosate applications in late August and late September were more effective than in mid-May (due to enhanced glyphosate translocation to rhizomes), such that two mid-May applications reduced P. arundinacea biomass to a level equivalent to that achieved by one late-season application. Phalaris. arundinacea recolonized rapidly from the seed bank and, in plots that received suboptimally timed (mid-May) herbicide, from rhizomes. Establishment of native species was very low, likely due to competition with recolonizing P. arundinacea. Unplanted species (from the seed bank and refugial populations) accounted for the majority of non- P. arundinacea biomass. Recolonization of other species was strongly limited by a threshold level of P. arundinacea biomass. Adequate site preparation (over multiple growing seasons) and aftercare (selective removal of P. arundinacea) will be the key to facilitating subsequent wet meadow vegetation establishment. This research provides an example of the importance of experimental evidence as the basis to improve the efficiency of restoration practices. [source] Negative per capita effects of purple loosestrife and reed canary grass on plant diversity of wetland communitiesDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 4 2006Shon S. Schooler ABSTRACT Invasive plants can simplify plant community structure, alter ecosystem processes and undermine the ecosystem services that we derive from biotic diversity. Two invasive plants, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), are becoming the dominant species in many wetlands across temperate North America. We used a horizontal, observational study to estimate per capita effects (PCEs) of purple loosestrife and reed canary grass on plant diversity in 24 wetland communities in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Four measures of diversity were used: the number of species (S), evenness of relative abundance (J), the Shannon,Wiener index (H,) and Simpson's index (D). We show that (1) the PCEs on biotic diversity were similar for both invasive species among the four measures of diversity we examined; (2) the relationship between plant diversity and invasive plant abundance ranges from linear (constant slope) to negative exponential (variable slope), the latter signifying that the PCEs are density-dependent; (3) the PCEs were density-dependent for measures of diversity sensitive to the number of species (S, H,, D) but not for the measure that relied solely upon relative abundance (J); and (4) invader abundance was not correlated with other potential influences on biodiversity (hydrology, soils, topography). These results indicate that both species are capable of reducing plant community diversity, and management strategies need to consider the simultaneous control of multiple species if the goal is to maintain diverse plant communities. [source] Atmospheric impact of bioenergy based on perennial crop (reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinaceae, L.) cultivation on a drained boreal organic soilGCB BIOENERGY, Issue 3 2010NARASINHA J. SHURPALI Abstract Marginal organic soils, abundant in the boreal region, are being increasingly used for bioenergy crop cultivation. Using long-term field experimental data on greenhouse gas (GHG) balance from a perennial bioenergy crop [reed canary grass (RCG), Phalaris arundinaceae L.] cultivated on a drained organic soil as an example, we show here for the first time that, with a proper cultivation and land-use practice, environmentally sound bioenergy production is possible on these problematic soil types. We performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) for RCG on this organic soil. We found that, on an average, this system produces 40% less CO2 -equivalents per MWh of energy in comparison with a conventional energy source such as coal. Climatic conditions regulating the RCG carbon exchange processes have a high impact on the benefits from this bioenergy production system. Under appropriate hydrological conditions, this system can even be carbon-negative. An LCA sensitivity analysis revealed that net ecosystem CO2 exchange and crop yield are the major LCA components, while non-CO2 GHG emissions and costs associated with crop production are the minor ones. Net bioenergy GHG emissions resulting from restricted net CO2 uptake and low crop yields, due to climatic and moisture stress during dry years, were comparable with coal emissions. However, net bioenergy emissions during wet years with high net uptake and crop yield were only a third of the coal emissions. As long-term experimental data on GHG balance of bioenergy production are scarce, scientific data stemming from field experiments are needed in shaping renewable energy source policies. [source] Cutting frequency and stubble height of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.): influence on quality and quantity of biomass for biogas productionGRASS & FORAGE SCIENCE, Issue 4 2002U. Geber Abstract Reed canary grass (RCG) used for land treatment of waste water can serve as a substrate for biogas production. The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of two, three or four cuts per year to stubble heights of 5, 12·5 or 20 cm on the digestibility and yield of digestible organic matter (DOM) of RCG. Both dry-matter yield and the yield of DOM decreased with more than two cuts per year. Height of cutting had no effect on the digestibility of the regrowth harvested from the different cutting regimes. Increased height of cutting resulted in increased dry-matter production and therefore also of increased DOM yield in the regrowth harvested from the four-cut regime. The total DOM yield from the four-cut regime was, however, only 0·84 of the DOM yield from the two-cut regime. [source] | ||||||||||