Journal of critical reviews 1185 IJSTR Journal of Critical Reviews ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7 , Issue 9, 2020 MANAGEMENT OF ENERGY PRODUCTION WITH THERMOCHEMICAL COMBUSTION: THE CASE OF SWITCHGRASS PERENNIAL CROP IN MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT 1 Dario Siggia, 2Maria Valentina Lasorella, 3 Ashutosh Kolte, 4 Avinash Pawar, 1 University of Palermo, Italy and Member of the Cabinet, Italian Minister of University and Research, Rome, Italy E-mail: dario.siggia@unipa.it 2 Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economy Analysis – Center of Policies and Bioeconomy, Italy E-mail: mvalentina.lasorella@crea.gov.it 3 Department of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India Email: ashutoshkolte@gmail.com 4 Department of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India dr.avinashpawar@outlook.com Received: 24.03.2020 Revised: 25.04.2020 Accepted: 26.05.2020 Abstract: The effects of soil texture (silty-clay vs. sandy-loam), irrigation (rainfed vs. 75 percent ET0), nitrogen fertilization (0, 50, 100 kg N ha-1) and variety (Alamo and Blackwell) on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) were investigated in two field trials in central Italy. Results stressed variety as the most significant factor influencing crop yield and quality of biomass. Besides, except for the year of creation, Alamo and Blackwell exceeded 30 and 15 (t ha-1) above ground dry yields, while Alamo tended to be less suitable for conversion to combustion than Blackwell. While some research contributions have deliberated the different yields in the Mediterranean climate of lowland and upland varieties, few studies have investigated the role of soil texture and alternative crop management practices on yield and quality switchgrass. Our analysis underlines how switchgrass achieved better yields under minimal conditions (i.e., sandy-loam soil and no supply of irrigation). Furthermore, while the correct crop management option, the crop yields increased mainly by irrigation and to a lesser extent by nitrogen fertilization (+ 30 percent) without any adverse impact on the quality of biomass. Nonetheless, more studies are required to examine the impact of external inputs on the environmental and economic sustainability of the switchgrass-based energy chains. Keywords: Energy Management, Irrigation, Nitrogen Fertilization, Variety, Ultimate Analysis, Proximate Analysis, Ash Composition. © 2020 by Advance Scientific Research. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.09.217 INTRODUCTION The herbaceous biomass crops have been studied in detail in the quest for alternatives to renewable energy. Here we focus on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a warm-season rhizomatous perennial grass native to North America with outstanding potential as a bioenergy crop. Switchgrass provides a major opportunity to increase crop diversification through sustainability in cultivation, reduced erosion and improved water quality with low nitrogen requirements compared to a conventional crop system [1]. Switchgrass has developed into two forms across its wide range of native geographic areas: (i) tall lowland ecotypes, vigorous and modified to wet conditions, and (ii) short upland ecotypes, with a finer stemmer and adapted to drier conditions [2,3]. Switchgrass is an open-pollinated plant that breeds both vegetatively and by seed. The two switchgrass ecotypes have different levels of chromosome ploidy, the upland accessions are mostly octaploid (2n = 8x = 72) and the lowland accessions are mostly tetraploid (2n = 4x = 36) [4], but the precise relationship between the ploid level and the ecotypes remains unclear [5-7]. Both upland and lowland switchgrass ecotypes are exceedingly incompatible, and cross-pollination is possible only between ecotypes with similar ploidy levels [8]. Lowland switchgrass cultivars can raise more than three meters high, are heat resistant and have a deep root system which makes them resistant to drought [9]. On the contrary, upland ecotypes from the northern latitudes have lower yield potential than northern lowland ecotypes but are more resistant to cold [10]. Regarding latitude of origin, these affect the growth, survival, and adaptation characteristics of switchgrass varieties in a significant way [11,12]. Infect this has a major influence on the yield capacity of switchgrass and the ability to thrive in extreme conditions [12]. Studies conducted in the United States for the assessment of switchgrass adaptability in latitudes showed that upland ecotypes appear to be adapted to the mid and northern latitudes of the United States. In contrast, lowland ecotypes appear to be adapted to the southern United States [13,14]. Additionally, within each ecotype, there is genetic variation for adaptation, all of which have northern and southern forms within their geographic series. A study piloted by Casler et al. [14] indicates that when lowland and southern ecotypes are transferred to northern latitudes, they generate higher yields of biomass as they remain vegetative for a longer period, but do not reach maturity and form seeds. Also, switchgrass will acquire sufficient dormancy and translocate storage carbohydrates to the roots to survive the winter. Still, due to the prolonged photoperiod, southern ecotypes can start this phase too late when moving to northern latitudes and may be compromised in their survival [15, 16]. The switchgrass is sensitive to photoperiods, requiring short days to induce blooming [15]; however, there is variation in photoperiod response among switchgrass varieties [17,18]. The descriptive indices of its phenological stages were established [19] to research the increase and expansion of switchgrass as a feature of environmental conditions and management elements with the traditional method used to research perennial grasses, suggested by Moore et al.[20] and explicitly adapted for switchgrass by Sanderson et al.[21], designates five key phenological stages: (a) emergence, (b) vegetative / leaf development (c) stem elongation, (d) reproductive / floral