Napiergrass Has Dual Use As Biofuel Feedstock and Animal Fodder

Core Ideas Napiergrass can produce higher biomass yield in marginal lands in the southern United States.Napiergrass can be grown as a dual source for feedstocks (bioenergy) and animal fodder.Napiergrass produces regrowth during late fall after its matured biomass harvest.Napiergrass regrowth meets the requirement for good‐quality animal fodder.Napiergrass can provide benefits to farmers following mixed crop and animal farming. Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) has attracted much attention as an efficient feedstock for biofuel production in sub‐tropical climate such as the southern United States because of its perennial nature and high biomass yield, with low inputs on marginal lands. In this study, we examined if napiergrass can be harvested advantageously both for biofuel feedstock as well as fodder usage. Three harvest treatments, i.e., T1, double harvest per year, first in July (T1H1) and second in November (T1H2); T2, double harvest per year, first in October (T2H1) and second in November (T2H2); and T3, single regular harvest in November (T3), were tested for biomass yield. Plant samples from all five harvests were analyzed for quality parameters to ascertain fodder suitability. Averaged across the study period, highest dry matter annual biomass yield was recorded for T3 (41.6 Mg DM ha−1) followed by T2 (37.2 Mg DM ha−1) and T1 (35.3 Mg DM ha−1). The regrowth after October harvest (T2H2) was found suitable for fodder usage and resulted in a fresh biomass yield of 7.9 Mg ha−1 that contained 213 g kg−1 crude protein (CP), 155 g kg−1 ash, 509 g kg−1 neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and 290 g kg−1 acid detergent fiber (ADF). This study showed that napiergrass can be grown for producing biomass for biofuel production as well as a quality fodder during the late fall season in the southern United States. The results would be of special significance to farmers who follow mixed crop and animal farming.