Simulating switchgrass aboveground biomass and production costs in eastern Canada with the integrated farm system model

Citation

Duchemin, M., Jégo, G., Morissette, R. (2019). Simulating switchgrass aboveground biomass and production costs in eastern Canada with the integrated farm system model. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, [online] 99(6), 785-800. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2018-0331

Plain language summary

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a herbaceous perennial grass that can be used as bedding for livestock, planted in buffer strips, and used as biofuel, but it is still not widely grown in eastern Canada. The objectives of this study were to verify the performance of the Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM) in simulating switchgrass growth and to estimate its yield potential and production costs in eastern Canada. The performance of IFSM was assessed with dry matter (DM) yield of switchgrass (cultivar ‘Cave-in-Rock’) measured over three growing seasons (2015–2017) in southern Quebec, Canada. The model performed reasonably well, with a prediction error of 19.5% for calibration and 27.9% for validation. Simulation results of potential yield and economic management over the long term (1986–2015) for five switchgrass production sites in eastern Canada indicated that average DM yields in Quebec City and Fredericton (9.6 and 9.7 t ha−1, respectively) were significantly lower than average DM yields in Saint-Hubert, Ottawa, and London (10.8, 10.4, and 11.0 t ha−1, respectively). Average annual production costs per tonne of DM for the spring harvest were higher at low-yield sites (CAD$66.67 and $64.50 for Fredericton and Quebec City, respectively) than at high-yield sites ($60.10, $62.82, and $60.08 for Saint-Hubert, Ottawa, and London, respectively). The IFSM-estimated production costs were within the range of the calculated values reported in other agro-economic analyses conducted in Ontario and Quebec.
Multivariate analysis confirmed that switchgrass growth in eastern Canada was limited more by cool temperatures and lack of solar radiation than by lack of precipitation. These results also highlight agro-climatic differences that are attributable to the geographical location of the sites under study (i.e., west–east gradient). In addition, the results of this study confirm that IFSM is a useful tool for estimating aboveground DM biomass and production costs over the long term for an emerging crop like switchgrass in eastern Canada.

Abstract

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a herbaceous perennial grass that can be used as bedding for livestock, planted in buffer strips, and used as biofuel, but it is still not widely grown in eastern Canada. The objectives of this study were to verify the performance of the Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM) in simulating switchgrass growth and to estimate its yield potential and production costs in eastern Canada. The performance of IFSM was assessed with dry matter (DM) yield of switchgrass (‘Cave-in-Rock’) measured over three growing seasons (2015–2017) in southern Quebec, Canada. The model performed reasonably well, with normalized root mean square errors of 19.5% for calibration and 27.9% for validation. Simulation results of potential yield and economic management over the long term (1986–2015) for five switchgrass production sites in eastern Canada indicated that average DM yields in Quebec City and Fredericton (9.6 and 9.7 t ha−1, respectively) were significantly lower than average DM yields in Saint-Hubert, Ottawa, and London (10.8, 10.4, and 11.0 t ha−1, respectively). Average annual production costs per tonne of DM for the spring harvest were higher at low-yield sites (CAD$66.67 and $64.50 for Fredericton and Quebec City, respectively) than at high-yield sites ($60.10, $62.82, and $60.08 for Saint-Hubert, Ottawa, and London, respectively). The IFSM-estimated production costs were within the range of the calculated values reported in other agro-economic analyses conducted in Ontario and Quebec.

Publication date

2019-01-01