Long-Term Yield and Quality Performance of Perennial Energy Grasses (Agropyron spp.) on Marginal Land

Abstract

The cultivation of perennial grasses is one of the most desirable alternatives as energy feedstock, but it is difficult to achieve competitive yields under Mediterranean marginal conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of three cool-season grasses (Agropyron spp.) from an agronomic and energetic point of view by comparing the dry matter (DM) yields, rain use efficiency, chemical composition, and biomass quality over an eight-year period in Spain under marginal rainfed conditions. The tall wheatgrass (Agropyron elongatum (Host) Beauv.) cultivars, Alkar (4.8 Mg DM·ha−1) and Jose (4.7 Mg DM·ha−1), achieved the highest yields. Productions below 0.5 Mg DM·ha−1 were obtained when rainfall was lower than 150 mm between March and June. The biomass obtained from the tested grasses showed relatively high contents of ash, silicon, and alkali elements. Net calorific values ranged between 16.7 and 18.5 MJ·kg−1 db. Differences in the composition among species and cultivars are not likely to affect their combustion behavior from a practical point of view. The ash content, as well as the concentrations of K, S, Na, and Cl, tended to decrease over the years. The results offered would be very useful for the implementation of this type of crop in marginal land.

Towards identifying industrial crop types and associated agronomies to improve biomass production from marginal lands in Europe

“…Unlike warm‐season perennial grasses, tall wheatgrass is a cool‐season that can be established in autumn, it grows on semiarid sites (with at least 300 mm of annual precipitation) due to its summer dormancy characteristics and leaf morphology (Asay, 1985; Hafenrichter et al, 1968). Previous studies spanning eight years with three varieties of tall wheatgrass in rainfed marginal lands in Spain had an average biomass yield of 4.4 Mg DM ha −1 yr −1 , which varied according to the precipitation between March and June (Ciria et al, 2020). Similar biomass yields were obtained with other annual grasses (Sanz et al, 2011).…”

Teaching Systems Thinking and System Dynamics in Engineering, Ecology and Environmental Sciences: A Concise Course Based on the Water Management and Population Dynamics Models

“…These problems are pertinent not only for the Ebbsfleet case study, but are characteristic for UWM in general, and similar modelling case studies are currently being conducted elsewhere. The ability to understand this complexity is indispensable for finding successful solutions to interrelated environmental and social issues [17,18,[26][27][28], and is key to the sustainable development of modern cities [17,[29][30][31]. System dynamics studies are very useful in that respect and have a potential added value of engaging practitioners and the public in further developments of the resulting models [17,18,32].…”

Effect of Fertilization on the Energy Profit of Tall Wheatgrass and Reed Canary Grass

“…As follows from the equation (EP = HHV × Y), the value of EP is highly dependent on the yield achieved. Differences in the composition among species are not likely to affect their combustion behavior from a practical point of view [56]. The low yield in the year of establishment is associated with the low EP from the first harvest.…”