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Response to Nitrogen of Sweet Pearl Millet and Sweet Sorghum Grown for Ethanol in Eastern Canada

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Abstract

Sweet pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.BR.] and sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] are considered for ethanol production in eastern Canada, but their response to N fertilization is not well established. Our objectives were (i) to compare both species for dry matter (DM), water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC), and estimated ethanol yields and (ii) to determine their response to mineral N rate (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg N ha−1), (iii) mineral vs. organic N (liquid swine and dairy manures at 80 kg total N ha−1), and (iv) single vs. split N application (80 kg ha−1 mineral N). The two species were grown for 2 years on sandy loams in two ecozones (Mixedwood Plains [MWP] and Boreal Shield [BS]) with contrasting temperature regime. Both species responded similarly to mineral N fertilization, with maximum WSC yield at 86 kg N ha−1 at MWP and 91 kg N ha−1 at BS, and maximum DM yield at 121 kg N ha−1 at MWP and 107 kg N ha−1 at BS. Mineral N fertilization at 80 kg ha−1 resulted in higher DM and WSC yields than the manures, which showed fertilizer N equivalences varying from 15 to 52 %. Splitting mineral N rate between seeding and the four-leaf stage did not improve yield compared to a single application. Sweet sorghum had higher averaged WSC concentration and yield than sweet pearl millet (249 vs. 134 g WSC kg−1 DM; 3.41 vs. 2.02 Mg WSC ha−1) and appears more promising for ethanol production in eastern Canada.

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Abbreviations

BS:

Boreal Shield

CEC:

Cation exchange capacity

CHU:

Corn heat unit

DM:

Dry matter

FNE:

Fertilizer nitrogen equivalence

LDM:

Liquid dairy manure

LSM:

Liquid swine manure

MWP:

Mixedwood Plains

Nmax DM :

N for maximum DM yield

Nmax WSC :

N for maximum WSC yield

SEM:

Standard error of the means

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

WSC:

Water-soluble carbohydrate

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Acknowledgments

The senior author gratefully acknowledges the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for a fellowship. The work was financially supported by the Programme de soutien à l’innovation en agroalimentaire (PSIA) of the Québec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ). We thank Annie Brégard for statistical advice and Valérie Bélanger, Marie-Eve Bernard, Amélie Desilets Roy, Johanne Tremblay, Gabriel Lévesque, and Josée Bourassa for assistance during field and laboratory work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Phytologie, Université Laval, 2425 rue de l’Agriculture, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Marie-Noëlle Thivierge & Anne Vanasse

  2. Soils and Crops Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2560 Hochelaga Blvd, Québec, QC, G1V 2J3, Canada

    Martin H. Chantigny, Gilles Bélanger & Annick Bertrand

  3. Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada

    Philippe Seguin

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  1. Marie-Noëlle Thivierge
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  2. Martin H. Chantigny
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  3. Gilles Bélanger
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  4. Philippe Seguin
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  5. Annick Bertrand
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Correspondence to Anne Vanasse.

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Thivierge, MN., Chantigny, M.H., Bélanger, G. et al. Response to Nitrogen of Sweet Pearl Millet and Sweet Sorghum Grown for Ethanol in Eastern Canada. Bioenerg. Res. 8, 807–820 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9558-x

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