Morphological and physiological traits influencing biomass productivity in short-rotation coppice poplar

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1488-1498 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Rae ◽  
K M Robinson ◽  
N R Street ◽  
G Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Populus Deltoides ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Basal Diameter ◽  
Short Rotation

Fast-growing hybrid poplar (Populus spp.) have potential as a short-rotation coppice crop grown for biomass energy. This work identifies traits for fast growth studied in an American interspecific pedigree derived from Populus trichocarpa Torr. & A. Gray × Populus deltoides Marsh. grown in the United Kingdom for the first time. The biomass yield after the first coppice rotation was estimated to range from 0.04 to 23.68 oven-dried t·ha–1·year–1. This great range suggests that genotypes from this pedigree may be used to understand the genetic basis of high yield in short-rotation coppice, which would be advantageous for informing breeding programs for biomass crops. Relationships between stem, leaf, cell traits, and biomass yield were investigated. Partial least-squares analysis was used to order the traits by importance. The traits most influential on biomass were maximum stem height throughout the growing season, basal diameter, number of stems, and number of sylleptic branches, which showed high heritability, indicating excellent potential for breeding programs. The leaf traits, leaf area, number of leaves on the leading stem, and plastochron index were also associated with an increase in biomass, leading to a better understanding of this trait.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas balance of cropland conversion to bioenergy poplar short-rotation coppice

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sabbatini ◽  
N. Arriga ◽  
T. Bertolini ◽  
S. Castaldi ◽  
T. Chiti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Balance ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Ch4 And N2o

Abstract. The production of bioenergy in Europe is one of the strategies conceived to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The suitability of the land use change from a cropland (REF site) to a short-rotation coppice plantation of hybrid poplar (SRC site) was investigated by comparing the GHG budgets of these two systems over 24 months in Viterbo, Italy. This period corresponded to a single rotation of the SRC site. The REF site was a crop rotation between grassland and winter wheat, i.e. the same management of the SRC site before the conversion to short-rotation coppice. Eddy covariance measurements were carried out to quantify the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (FCO2), whereas chambers were used to measure N2O and CH4 emissions from soil. The measurements began 2 years after the conversion of arable land to SRC so that an older poplar plantation was used to estimate the soil organic carbon (SOC) loss due to SRC establishment and to estimate SOC recovery over time. Emissions from tractors and from production and transport of agricultural inputs (FMAN) were modelled. A GHG emission offset, due to the substitution of natural gas with SRC biomass, was credited to the GHG budget of the SRC site. Emissions generated by the use of biomass (FEXP) were also considered. Suitability was finally assessed by comparing the GHG budgets of the two sites. CO2 uptake was 3512 ± 224 g CO2 m−2 at the SRC site in 2 years, and 1838 ± 107 g CO2 m−2 at the REF site. FEXP was equal to 1858 ± 240 g CO2 m−2 at the REF site, thus basically compensating for FCO2, while it was 1118 ± 521 g CO2 m−2 at the SRC site. The SRC site could offset 379.7 ± 175.1 g CO2eq m−2 from fossil fuel displacement. Soil CH4 and N2O fluxes were negligible. FMAN made up 2 and 4 % in the GHG budgets of SRC and REF sites respectively, while the SOC loss was 455 ± 524 g CO2 m−2 in 2 years. Overall, the REF site was close to neutrality from a GHG perspective (156 ± 264 g CO2eq m−2), while the SRC site was a net sink of 2202 ± 792 g CO2eq m−2. In conclusion the experiment led to a positive evaluation from a GHG viewpoint of the conversion of cropland to bioenergy SRC.

scholarly journals Soil respiration and net ecosystem productivity in a chronosequence of hybrid poplar plantations

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 488-502
Author(s):  
Scott X. Chang ◽  
Zheng Shi ◽  
Barb R. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Populus Deltoides ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Net Ecosystem Productivity ◽  
Ecosystem Productivity ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
C Dynamics ◽  
Woody Crop

Forest stand age can affect ecosystem carbon (C) cycling and net ecosystem productivity (NEP). In Canada, establishment of short-rotation plantations on previously agricultural lands has been ongoing, but the effect of stand development on soil respiration (Rs) and NEP in such plantations is poorly understood. These types of data are essential for constraining ecosystem models that simulate C dynamics over the rotation of a plantation. We studied Rs (including autotrophic, Ra, and heterotrophic, Rh) and NEP in 2008 and 2009 in a chronosequence of 5-, 8-, 14-, and 16-yr-old (ages in 2009) hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides × Populus × petrowskyana var. Walker) plantations in northern Alberta. The highest Rs and NEP were generally found in the 14-yr-old stand. Seasonal variations in Rs were similar among the plantations, with most of the variation explained by soil temperature at the 10 cm depth in 2008 with far less explained in 2009, a much drier year. In diurnal measurements, hysteresis was found between soil respiration and soil temperature, with the patterns of hysteresis different among stand ages. Soil respiration in the 14-yr-old plantation had the greatest sensitivity to temperature changes. Stand age did not affect the Rh:Rs ratio, whereas the NEP exhibited strong inter-annual variability. We conclude that stand age was a major factor affecting Rs and NEP, and such effects should be considered in empirical models used to simulate ecosystem C dynamics to evaluate potentials for C sequestration and the C source–sink relationship in short-rotation woody crop systems.

scholarly journals Performance of hybrid poplar clones in short rotation coppice in Mediterranean environments: analysis of genotypic stability

GCB Bioenergy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 661-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hortensia Sixto ◽  
Paula Gil ◽  
Pilar Ciria ◽  
Francesc Camps ◽  
Mario Sánchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Mediterranean Environments ◽  
Poplar Clones ◽  
Genotypic Stability

scholarly journals Estimation of Yield Loss Due to Deer Browsing in a Short Rotation Coppice Willow Plantation in Northern Japan

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisanori Harayama ◽  
Qingmin Han ◽  
Makoto Ishihara ◽  
Mitsutoshi Kitao ◽  
Akira Uemura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linear Model ◽  
Generalized Linear Model ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Deer Browsing ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Northern Japan

Deer browsing is a major factor causing significant declines in yield in short rotation coppice (SRC) willow, but the resultant yield loss is difficult to estimate because it requires extensive investigation, especially when the standard yield is unknown. We investigated a simple method for estimating yield loss due to deer browsing. We enclosed an experimental SRC willow plantation in Hokkaido, northern Japan, planted with 12 clones, with an electric fence; deer browsing did, however, occur in the first summer of the second harvest cycle. We counted the number of sprouting stems and deer-browsed stems per plant and, after three years, the yield of each clone was analyzed using a generalized linear model with the above two parameters for the numbers of stems as explanatory variables. The model explained the yield of 11 out of the 12 clones, and estimated that browsing of a single stem per plant could reduce yield to 80%. Losses due to deer browsing were estimated to be as much as 6.0 oven dry ton ha−1 yr−1. The potential yield in the absence of deer browsing ranged from 2.2 to 7.5 oven dry ton ha−1 yr−1 among clones, and was significantly positively correlated with the estimated yield loss due to deer browsing. Our results suggest that a generalized linear model can be used to estimate the yield loss due to deer browsing from a simple survey, and deer browsing could significantly reduce willow biomass yield from the clones we studied, and thus countermeasures to control deer browsing are therefore necessary if sufficient willow biomass yield is to be produced.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas balance of cropland conversion to bioenergy poplar short rotation coppice

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 8035-8084 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sabbatini ◽  
N. Arriga ◽  
T. Bertolini ◽  
S. Castaldi ◽  
T. Chiti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Balance ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Fuel Substitution ◽  
Natural Gas Emissions

Abstract. The production of bioenergy in Europe is one of the strategies conceived to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The suitability of the land use change from a cropland (REF site) to a short rotation coppice plantation of hybrid poplar (SRC site) was investigated by comparing the GHG budgets of these two systems over 24 months in Viterbo, Italy. Eddy covariance measurements were carried out to quantify the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (FCO2), whereas chambers were used to measure N2O and CH4 emissions from soil. Soil organic carbon (SOC) of an older poplar plantation was used to estimate via a regression the SOC loss due to SRC establishment. Emissions from tractors and from production and transport of agricultural inputs (FMAN) were modelled and GHG emission offset due to fossil fuel substitution was credited to the SRC site considering the C intensity of natural gas. Emissions due to the use of the biomass (FEXP) were also considered. The suitability was finally assessed comparing the GHG budgets of the two sites. FCO2 was the higher flux in the SRC site (−3512 ± 224 g CO2 eq m−2 in two years), while in the REF site it was −1838 ± 107 g CO2 m−2 in two years. FEXP was equal to 1858 ± 240 g CO2 m−2 in 24 months in the REF site, thus basically compensating FCO2, while it was 1118 ± 521 g CO2 eq m−2 in 24 months in the SRC site. This latter could offset −379.7 ± 175.1 g CO2 eq m−2 from fossil fuel displacement. Soil CH4 and N2O fluxes were negligible. FMAN weighed 2 and 4% in the GHG budgets of SRC and REF sites respectively, while the SOC loss weighed 455 ± 524 g CO2 m−2 in two years. Overall, the REF site was close to neutrality in a GHG perspective (156 ± 264 g CO2 eq m−2), while the SRC site was a net sink of −2202 ± 792 g CO2 eq m−2. In conclusion the experiment led to a positive evaluation of the conversion of cropland to bioenergy SRC from a GHG viewpoint.

scholarly journals Fodder qualities of heterotic hybrids from intergeneric crosses between maize and eastern gamagrass

2020 ◽  
Vol 181 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
P. A. Panikhin ◽  
V. A. Sokolov
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Theoretical Estimate ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intergeneric Hybrids ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Eastern Gamagrass ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
High Feed

Green biomass yield and fodder qualities are the starting point in the choice of forage crops. Maize, as a plant with the C4 pathway of photosynthesis, is highly efficient in transforming the energy of light into chemical bond energies, which ultimately leads to the highest yield per unit area of cultivated land. Its grain and green biomass possess good fodder qualities and are actively used in feed rations for cattle, smaller ruminants, and poultry. Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides L.), a wild relative of maize, is widespread over the plains of North and South Americas. To date, it has received universal recognition among breeders as a forage and fodder crop. More than 10 commercial cultivars have already been developed and cultivated in the United States. Eastern gamagrass is a C4 plant as well, characterized by high yield and high feed value of hay. We decided to combine in our research economically valuable qualities of this plant by developing apomictic intergeneric hybrids. This paper presents the results obtained in the process of assessing fodder qualities of apomictic maize × Tripsacum hybrids, where two maize genomes from the lines participating in hybrid selection for F1 seeds were added to the 36 chromosomes of eastern gamagrass. The maize × Tripsacum hybrid forms, produced during a number of years, persistently demonstrated an apomictic reproduction pattern and heterosis in green biomass productivity. Zootechnical analysis of plant samples showed that the hybrids, in which chromosomes of the lines used in commercial seed production to obtain heterosis in F1 had been added to the 36 chromosomes of eastern gamagrass, exceeded in their biochemical indicators the plants, in which 20 chromosomes from one of the maize lines earlier used in hybridization at our laboratory had been added. A theoretical estimate of green biomass yield calculated per hectare for the maize × Tripsacum hybrids is about 65 tons.

Opportunities for short rotation coppice production on free-range chicken farms in Flanders: farmers’ perceptions and cost-benefit analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-295
Author(s):  
Lisanne M Stadig ◽  
Frank A.M Tuyttens ◽  
T. Bas Rodenburg ◽  
Pieter Verdonckt ◽  
Erwin Wauters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Wood Chip ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Price Premium ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Poultry Products ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Budget Analysis ◽  
On Farm

AbstractThis paper focuses on systems producing short rotation coppice willows (SRCW) in chickens’ free-range areas. We aim to map chicken farmers’ motivation to implement SRCW, and to assess the economic viability of these systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 free-range chicken farmers. Farmers agreed that chickens would prefer SRCW over grassland, which could benefit chicken welfare. They expected establishing an SRCW system would be labor intensive, and doubted if it would be a profitable investment. Some concerns of farmers might be taken away by exchanging information with farmers with SRCW experience. A partial budget analysis was performed to calculate the net present value (NPV) of six different scenarios, differing in the type of chickens, in whether the produced biomass was sold or valorized on-farm and in harvest pattern, all over a 23-yr period. The NPV was positive but low for all scenarios. A sensitivity analysis showed that changes in biomass yield, wood chip price, a price premium for poultry products and current fuel price were most likely to influence the NPV. A risk analysis revealed that NPVs were positive in the majority of the modeled cases. Scenarios in which biomass was used for on-farm heat production showed the highest risk of a negative NPV. A price premium for poultry products may be most effective at increasing profitability, but may only be feasible for farms selling directly to consumers. Establishing a solid market for biomass energy, including guaranteed demand and availability of appropriate machinery for cultivation, may mitigate farmers’ concerns.

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