Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Habitat – Open woods and meadows; pH 4.5-7.5.
Characteristics – A rhizomatous, warm season, bunch grass; grows from 4’-6’ tall; 12” minimum root depth; full sun; moderate drought tolerance; moderate salt and acid tolerance; blooms from July to September in the northern U.S.; June to October in the southern U.S.
Seeding Rate – 8 PLS lb per acre alone; 10%-20% of a mix; approx. 259,000 seeds per lb
- ‘Carthage’-NC – upland type; quality forage and good biomass producer.
- ‘Cave-In-Rock’-IL – upland type; good biomass producer; a favorite for reclamation and wildlife.
New Switchgrass Varieties
- ‘BoMaster’ – lowland type; genetically selected variety developed jointly by the NC Ag Research Service, NC State University and USDA, Ag Research Service, for biomass production.
- ‘Colony’ – lowland type; genetically selected variety developed jointly by the NC Ag Research Service, NC State University and USDA, Ag Research Service, for biomass production.
- ‘Performer’ – lowland type; genetically selected variety developed jointly by the NC Ag Research Service, NC State University and USDA, Ag Research Service, for livestock forage.
- ‘Shawnee’ – selected for improved forage quality and biomass yield in the Northeast and Midwest.
- ‘Timber’ – lowland type; released by the USDA NRCS, Somerset, NJ, and Rutgers University-Agricultural Experiment Station, New Brunswick, NJ, as a Mid-Atlantic biofeedstock/biofuels crop.