Current Competitive Grant

Agronomic, environmental and economic performance of alternative biomass cropping systems

NOTE: Work on this grant project has been completed and is awaiting a final report.

Project ID: E2008-24

This 3-year grant for $91,153 was awarded in 2008.

Location: Boone, Story counties

The project investigators are seeking biomass cropping systems that are productive, profitable and mitigate the negative effects of annual crops on soil and water quality. Investigators are developing and testing several alternative systems that include sweet sorghum/triticale for superior biomass yields; a corn-soybean-triticale/soybean and corn-switchgrass rotation to reduce environmental impacts; and combining triticale with aspen and cottonwood plantings to achieve short-term biomass yields and superior long-term yields. All systems will be compared to conventional continuous corn for 1) energy/fertilizer inputs versus biomass outputs, 2) impacts on soil and water quality and 3) establishment, production, harvest and transport costs.

Lisa A. Schulte Moore

Lisa Schulte Moore is an associate professor of landscape ecology in ISU's Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. Her research focuses on ecosystem patterning and dynamics in forest and agroecosystems, with emphasis on long time periods, broad spatial scales, and sustainable land management. Much of her work has used landscape modeling techniques. Socioeconomic facets of sustainable land management, in addition to ecological ones, are an expanding component of her current research, and she has experience successfully working in and leading interdisciplinary teams. Schulte teaches courses in ecosystem management, stand dynamics, and landscape ecology, and is a member of ISU's Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture. She is the recipient of ISU's 2007 Award for Early Achievement in Teaching. [Contact lead investigator]

Co-Investigator(s):

This competitive grant project is part of the Leopold Center's Ecology Initiative.

The Leopold Center was established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act as a research and education center at Iowa State University to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

This page was found at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/e2008-24 on 01/20/2013