How to translate text using browser tools
19 June 2019 Simulating switchgrass aboveground biomass and production costs in eastern Canada with the Integrated Farm System Model
Marc Duchemin, Guillaume Jégo, René Morissette
Author Affiliations +
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.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2019. Permission for reuse (free in most cases) can be obtained from Rightslink.
Marc Duchemin, Guillaume Jégo, and René Morissette "Simulating switchgrass aboveground biomass and production costs in eastern Canada with the Integrated Farm System Model," Canadian Journal of Plant Science 99(6), 785-800, (19 June 2019). https://doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2018-0331
Received: 20 December 2018; Accepted: 30 May 2019; Published: 19 June 2019
JOURNAL ARTICLE
16 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
aboveground biomass
Canada
IFSM
modeling
production cost
switchgrass
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top