BioFuel Seeds

Sustainable crops can strengthen energy security, promote economic development, and protect the environment.

NOTE: Click the "All" button at bottom of page to see all varieties viable for Biofuel production.

Biofuels are produced from living organisms or from metabolic by-products (organic or food waste products). In order to be considered a biofuel the fuel must contain over 80 percent renewable materials.

Test plots of Switchgrass at Auburn University have produced up to 15 tons of dry biomass per acre. Five-year yields average 11.5 tons, enough to make 1,150 gallons of ethanol per acre each year. Additional studies show that Switchgrass ethanol produces 94% less CO2 than oil.

A biofuel is originally derived from the photosynthesis process and can therefore often be referred to as a solar energy source. There are pros and cons to using biofuels as an energy source, however, rising petroleum prices are not among them. Merrill Lynch commodity strategist Francisco Blanch remarked that oil and gasoline prices would be about 15 percent higher if biofuel producers were not increasing their output.

In fact, the U. S. biodiesel industry is helping increase the nation's refining capacity by building plants that produce an American-made, cleaner burning fuel. The 500 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the U.S. in 2007 displaced 20 million barrels of petroleum. Biodiesel is an extremely efficient fuel that creates 3.5 units of energy for every unit of fuel that is required to produce the fuel.

One of the prime plant species for biofuel production is native Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum. For more information about Switchgrass or biofuel production, give us a call at 800-462-8483 or contact us by e-mail.

Select Plant Type: View All Types Acid Tolerant grass Annual BioFuel Seeds Butterfly Attracting cool season Drought Tolerant Environmental Solutions Excellent in a native mix GOVERNMENT MIX Grasses Herbaceous Perennial Legumes Missouri Native Ecotype MIXTURES Native Native Cultivar Native Prairie Grass Native Seed Mix Component Non-native Ornamental, showy specie Perennial Rain Gardens and Bioswales Salt-Tolerant Shade Tolerant Summer Color for Sunny Sites warm season Wetland Mitigation Wild Flowers Wildlife Benefits

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Alamo Switchgrass Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Alamo' Alamo Switchgrass has become an alternative energy source by converting it from a biomass-based renewable energy source into a fuel like ethanol. Alamo and Kanlow Switchgrasses have much higher dry matter (DM) yield capability than upland cultivar... [ More Info ]

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Blackwell Switchgrass Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Blackwell' Blackwell Switchgrass was originally collected from a single plant near Blackwell, Oklahoma in 1944 and developed at the Manhattan, Ks. Plant Materials Center and the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. This Switchgraass has been planted to wel... [ More Info ]

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Cave-in-Rock Switchgrass Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Cave-in-Rock' Cave-in-Rock Switchgrass is a top choice among all the Switchgrass varieties because of its palatability and disease resistance. Noted for its adaptability to the growing conditions, Cave-in-Rock Switchgrass is found in the more eastern states, espec... [ More Info ]

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Jose Tall Wheatgrass Botanical Name: Agropyron elongatum 'Jose Tall Wheatgrass' Jose Tall Wheatgrass is a tall, coarse, late-maturing bunchgrass that extends its size by producing tufts on short rootstocks at the edge of mature plants. Jose Tall Wheatgrass is a cool season perenial grass. Long, coarse, light green, basal lea... [ More Info ]

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Kanlow Switchgrass Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Kanlow' Kanlow Switchgrass is a perennial warm season grass with coarse stems. Its height ranges from 3 to nearly 8 feet with the leaves ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and may reach a length of 30 inches. It is a bunch grass, but has short rhizomes. Th... [ More Info ]

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Kaw Big Bluestem Botanical Name: Andropogon gerardi 'Kaw' Kaw is a cultivar of Big Bluestem that is widely grown for forage, prairie restoration, and wildlife habitat in the central Great Plains. Big Bluestem for livestock forage offers increased yield and improved digestibility for livestock. Big Bluest... [ More Info ]

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Osage Indian Grass Botanical Name: Sorghastrum nutans 'Osage' Osage Indian Grass provides upright clumps of slender, blue-green leaves that turn golden in the fall. In late summer, attractive, vertical flowering Osage Indian Grass stems are topped with 12-inch long, light brown flower panicles that have yellow ... [ More Info ]

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Pete Eastern Gamagrass Botanical Name: Tripsacum dactyloides 'PMK-24' PMK-24 Eastern Gamagrass is a warm-season, perennial native grass cultivar with high palatability and productivity. Recently, interest in Eastern Gamagrass has increased because of its potential use for high quality forage, soil conservation, and wil... [ More Info ]

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Rountree Big Bluestem Botanical Name: Andropogon gerardi 'Rountree' Rountree Big Bluestem is tolerant of a wide range of soils and is the preferred variety of Big Bluestem for hay production. Big Bluestem was the chief grass of the tallgrass prairie and once covered solid acres. The leaves are very nutritious for cat... [ More Info ]

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Rumsey Indian Grass Botanical Name: Sorghastrum nutans 'Rumsey' Rumsey Indian Grass has upright clumps of slender, blue-green leaves that turn golden in the fall. In late summer, attractive, vertical flowering stems are topped with 12-inch long, light brown flower panicles that have yellow stamens. Rumsey Indian ... [ More Info ]