Restoring Soil Ecosystems and Biomass Production of Arundo donax L. under Microbial Communities-Depleted Soil

Alshaal, Tarek; Domokos-Szabolcsy, Éva; Márton, László; Czakó, Mihály; Kátai, János; Balogh, Péter; Elhawat, Nevien; El-Ramady, Hassan; Gerőcs, Annamária; Fári, Miklós

doi:10.1007/s12155-013-9369-5

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Although the halophytic nature of A. donax has heretofore been limited to anecdotal evidence and root microscopy (Hann et al ., ), accessions of clones selected from estuarine environments have already being marketed as ‘salt‐tolerant ecotypes’ for use in bioremediation projects (e.g. Alshaal et al ., ). Ecotypes and other intraspecific variation in salt tolerance have been important for elucidating the range of response within species to altered salinity regimes (Hester et al ., ; Vasquez et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A salt on the bioenergy and biological invasions debate: salinity tolerance of the invasive biomass feedstock Arundo donax

Nackley

Kim

2014

GCB Bioenergy

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Arundo donax L., commonly known as giant reed, is promising biomass feedstock that is also a notorious invasive plant in freshwater ecosystems around the world. Heretofore, the salt tolerance of A. donax had not been quantified even though anecdotal evidence suggests halophytic qualities. To test whole-plant and leaf level responses, we established a pot experiment on 80 scions propagated from an A. donax population that has naturalized on the shore of the San Francisco Bay Estuary. To quantify growth and physiological responses to salinity (NaCl), A. donax scions were divided into eight treatments and grown for 60 days across a range of salinities (0-42 dS m À1). Classic growth analysis showed >80% reduction in overall growth at the highest salinities. Yet, there was zero mortality indicating that A. donax is able to tolerate high levels of salt. Declining photosynthesis rates were strongly correlated (R 2 > 0.97) with decreasing stomatal conductance, which was in turn closely related to increasing salinity. Leaf gas exchange revealed that stomata and leaf limitations of carbon dioxide were three times greater at high salinities. Nonetheless, even when salinities were 38-42 dS m À1 A. donax was able to maintain assimilation rates 7-12 lmol m À2 s À1 . Further, by maintaining 50% relative growth at salinities 12 dS m À1 A. donax can now be classified as 'moderately salt tolerant'. A. donax leaf gas exchange and wholeplant salt tolerance are greater than many important food crops (i.e. maize, rice), the bioenergy feedstock Miscanthus 9 giganteus, as well as some uncultivated plant species (i.e. Populus and Salix) that are indigenous in regions A. donax currently invades. The results of this study have implications for both agronomists wishing to expand A. donax to fields dominated by saline soils, and for others who are concerned about the spread of A. donax with altered stream hydrology or sea-level rise.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A salt on the bioenergy and biological invasions debate: salinity tolerance of the invasive biomass feedstock Arundo donax

Nackley

Kim

2014

GCB Bioenergy

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“…Giant reed was also found to better enhance the bacterial and fungal growth in soil, compared with other energy crops such as grass, corn, and sunflower. Experiments in pots showed that a 12 week cultivation of giant reed increased available nitrogen in the soil, and the activities of soil dehydrogenase, urease, and catalase were increased 3-to 7-fold [50]. In one study, giant reed was found to have a higher ability than miscanthus in increasing soil organic carbon accumulation [51].…”

Section: Improvement Of Soil Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Giant reed: A competitive energy crop in comparison with miscanthus

Vasco‐Correa

et al. 2016

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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Arundo donax L. (giant reed), is a perennial rhizomatous grass and a promising energy crop due to its high biomass yield, adaptation to different types of soils and weather conditions, lower tillage requirement than traditional crops, and phytoremediation properties. This review is a comprehensive comparison of giant reed with miscanthus, a well-known candidate energy crop, in terms of biomass production and biomass conversion to bioenergy and bioproducts. Compared with miscanthus, giant reed can have higher biomass yield and adapt to a broader range of environments, but it requires more energy input for planting. Giant reed has a higher invasive potential than Miscanthus × giganteus, necessitating ecological control, such as preventing cultivation sites from flooding, strict nutrient management in surrounding areas, and removal of giant reed from riparian ecosystems adjacent to fire prone shrub lands. Generally, giant reed showed comparable yields to miscanthus in bioenergy production, but achieved better performance than miscanthus in production of particle boards, paper, and xylo-oligosaccharides. Future suggested research on giant reed includes, testing multiple harvests per year, assessing environmental benefits and reducing potential hazards, evaluating advanced pretreatment technologies, integrating processes for producing different bioenergy/bioproducts, and investigating effects of management practices on the production of fuels and products.

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“…Recently, this plant has been used in phytoremediation, in particular, for P, Cd and Ni uptake potential and biomass production for energy purposes in contaminated sites. There are several works concerning the promising phytoremediation giant reed (Table 4. Alshaal et al ( 2013Alshaal et al ( , 2014, Nassi et al ( 2013 ), Bonanno et al ( 2013 ) and Gelfand et al ( 2013 ).…”

Section: Giant Reed: the Promising Phytoremediator Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, giant reed has increased activities of most soil enzymes, especially, dehydrogenase, urease, and catalase. So, it could be recommended that giant reed is a good candidate for wetland and marginal soils restoring its ecosystems, as reviewed by Alshaal et al ( 2014 ). The promising role of giant reed in Se-phytoremediation should be more and more considered.…”

Section: Se and Giant Reed: The Current And Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%