Comparing the water-use-efficiency of maize and biomass sorghum grown in the rain-fed, Midwestern US.

Abstract:

Uncertainty in the quantity and timing of precipitation in a changing climate, combined with an increased demand for non-grain ethanol feedstock, may necessitate expanding the production of more water-use-efficient and less drought sensitive crops for biofuel applications. Research suggests that biomass sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is more drought tolerant and can produce more biomass than maize in water-limiting environments; however, sorghum water use data are scarce for the rain-fed Midwestern US. To address this gap, a replicated (n=3) side-by-side trial was established in Ames, Iowa to determine cumulative water use and water-use-efficiency of maize and biomass sorghum throughout the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons. Latent heat flux was estimated using the residual in the energy balance technique. Continuous micrometeorological measurements were supplemented by periodic measurements of leaf area index (LAI) and above-ground biomass. Water use (WU), aboveground biomass, and water-use-efficiency (WUE) were found to be similar for both crop types in 2014; data from the 2015 growing season are currently being processed. In 2015, leaf gas exchange measurements were made with a portable photosynthesis instrument. Photosynthetic parameters from gas exchange measurements will be implemented in a semi-mechanistic crop model (BioCro) as a method for scaling WUE estimates across the rain-fed Midwestern US driven with future climate projections. This research highlights the importance of understanding the potential effects of expanding biomass sorghum production on the hydrologic cycle of the Midwestern, US.