Four-year measurement of net ecosystem gas exchange of switchgrass in a Mediterranean climate after long-term arable land use

Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennial lignocellulosic crop that has gained large interest as a feedstock for advanced biofuels. Using an eddy covariance system, we monitored the net ecosystem gas exchange in a 5‐ha rainfed switchgrass crop located in the Po River Valley for four consecutive years after land‐use change from annual food crops. Switchgrass absorbed 58.2 Mg CO 2 ha −1 year −1 ( GPP —gross primary production), of which...