SWITCHGRASS AND INTERMEDIATE WHEATGRASS ABOVEGROUND AND BELOWGROUND RESPONSE TO NITROGEN AND CALCIUM

Calcium (Ca) and nitrogen (N) treatments (2, 8, and 32 mg L−1) were investigated on aboveground and belowground growth of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and intermediate wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey] in a greenhouse experiment. Switchgrass (cultivars ‘Sunburst’ and ‘Dacotah’), and intermediate wheatgrass (cultivar ‘Reliant’) aboveground and belowground biomass were harvested and analyzed to determine total biomass, macronutrient concentrations, and forage quality. Intermediate wheatgrass biomass followed a positive response to increasing N and Ca while switchgrass response to N and Ca treatments varied by cultivar. Increased Ca supplementation rates from 2 mg L to 32 mg L−1 increased aboveground Ca concentrations of 113% and 257% for switchgrass and intermediate wheatgrass, respectively. Calcium had little impact on measured cell wall characteristics with the exception of hemicellulose content in intermediate wheatgrass. Further investigation on intermediate wheatgra...