Abstract

Decision Support System to Optimize Production of Agricultural Crop Biofeedstock
Track: Agriculture
Author(s): Ronald Rope

A Decision Support System for Agriculture (DSS4Ag) has been developed which determines the economically optimum recipe of various fertilizers to be applied across a field. To support the growing interest in agricultural crop residues as a bioenergy feedstock, this model has been extended to develop a variable-rate fertilizer recipe for the simultaneous economically optimum production of both grain and straw, and field research has been conducted to test this new DSS4Ag model. The results show that the DSS4Ag reduced the amounts of fertilizers used from one half to one quarter for existing market conditions and up to one sixth when there is a biorefinery market for the straw biofeedstock, and increased profit up to $179.30 ha-1. The DSS4Ag results show that when a biorefinery infrastructure is in place and growers have a strong market for straw, they should not increase fertilization to try to produce more straw.

Ronald Rope
Idaho National Laboratory
PO Box 1625
Idaho Falls , Idaho 83415
United States
Phone: 208 526 9491
E-mail: Ronald.Rope@inl.gov