Variety Choice
Even with the national, regional, and local interest generated in using switchgrass as the cellulosic feedstock of choice, there are few varieties from which to choose. Since the 1940s there have been few switchgrass cultivars released in the U.S. Several field studies revealed southern cultivars as more productive than northern ones. However, southern varieties have winterkill problems if they are grown in regions more than one hardiness zone north of their origin. In Oklahoma, the lowland cultivars have a longer growing season than upland varieties.
Within the lowland ecotypes, southern lowland varieties such as Alamo and Cimarron have longer growing seasons than the northern lowland variety, Kanlow. Rainfall is an important factor for the selection of varieties to grow. It is believed lowland switchgrass can be grown in areas that annually receive more than 25 inches of rainfall. Upland varieties are less sensitive to drought than lowland varieties. In Oklahoma and adjacent areas in the southern Great Plains: Alamo, Cimarron, Kanlow, Blackwell, and Caddo are the logical choices. Generally, Alamo and Kanlow are better adapted to sites with loam and clay loam soils, and Blackwell and Caddo are better adapted to areas with lighter soils and eroded areas.
| Switchgrass Cultivar Releases
in the U.S. ______________________________________________________________ |
|
|---|---|
| Ecotype | Name/Year/Institutions |
| Lowland | Kanlow/1963/Kansas Agricultural Experiment
Station; Plant Science Division of ARS, USDA Alamo/1978/Plant Materials Center, Soil Conservation Service, Knox City, Texas; Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Performer®/2006/USDA-ARS; North Carolina Agricultural Research Service; North Carolina State University BoMaster®/2006/USDA-ARS; North Carolina Agricultural Research Service; North Carolina State University Cimarron/2008/Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station |
| Upland | Grenville/1940/Plant Materials Center,
Soil Conservation Service, Spur, Texas Blackwell/1944/Plant Materials Center, Soil Conservation Service, Manhattan, Kansas; Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Nebraska 28/1949/Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station; USDA-ARS; Nursery Division, Soil Conservation Service Caddo/1955/Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station; Plant Science Research Division of USDA-ARS Summer/1963/South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Pathfinder/1967/Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station; USDA-ARS Cave-In-Rock/1973/Plant Materials Center, Soil Conservation Service, Elsberry, Missouri; Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Sunburst/1983/South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Trailblazer/1984/USDA-ARS and Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station Shelter/1986/Soil Conservation Service; Cornell University; New York Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Fish & Wildlife, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission Forestburg/1987/Plant Materials Center, Soil Conservation Service, Bismarck, North Dakota; USDA-ARS; North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Agricultural Experiment Stations Dacotah/1989/USDA-ARS; Plant Materials Center, Soil Conservation Service, Bismarck, North Dakota; North Dakota and Minnesota, Agricultural Experiment Stations Shawnee/1995/USDA-ARS; the University of Nebraska; USDA-NRCS; IOWA Agricultural Experiment Station; Purdue Agricultural Research Program Carthage®/2006/NRCS New Jersey Plant Materials Center |
