Siberian elm responses to different culture conditions under short rotation forestry in Mediterranean areas

Abstract

This work explores the possibilities of biomass production, for energy purposes, of Siberian elm in Mediterranean areas, including marginal lands with poor soil and low water availability. To achieve this, the influence of soil type, planting density, and water availability on biomass production were analyzed after the first 3 years of the growing cycle in 2 different locations. Moreover, a method to estimate biomass production as a function of some morphological parameters of the trees, as well as the use of leaf water potential as a good indicator of trees' water status, are discussed. The analysis of parameters having an influence on elm growth showed that soil type is the most important factor to obtain a good yield. In soils with enough nutrients and higher water-holding capacity, biomass productions in the range 13-14 Mg DM ha -1 were achieved even under rainfed conditions. In irrigated plots, Siberian elm production was more than double the production of biomass under rainfed conditions; however, significant differences were not found between the 2 different irrigation doses under study. Biomass yield was greater for the highest planting density (6666 plants ha -1 ). Leaf water potential has been shown to be a useful tool for finding out plant water status. Tree growth showed a direct relationship to midmorning leaf water potential, and it was equal to 0 for leaf water potentials lower than -1.83 MPa; this value indicates a great resistance to drought by the species.

Marginal Lands to Grow Novel Bio-Based Crops: A Plant Breeding Perspective

“…Chloroplast genome sequenced; breeding efforts targeting resistance to Dutch Elm Disease and wood quality Santini et al, 2004;Geyer et al, 2007;Lamers and Khamzina, 2008;Perez et al, 2014;Zuo et al, 2017 Wild tobacco (Nicotiana glauca Graham)…”

Poplar Short Rotation Coppice Plantations under Mediterranean Conditions: The Case of Spain

“…Furthermore, trials with other potentially usable species have taken place in recent years, leading to differing results. In this regard, at a Mediterranean scale, there have been experimental trials with Ulmus pumila L. [73], Robinia pseudoacacia L. [74][75][76][77], hybrids of Salix spp. [78][79][80][81], Platanus × hispanica Mill.…”

Biomass Yield and Economic, Energy and Carbon Balances of Ulmus pumila L., Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Populus × euroamericana (Dode) Guinier Short-Rotation Coppices on Degraded Lands under Mediterranean Climate

“…All the studied taxa are well adapted to the experimental growing conditions, as demonstrated by the growth rates and survival (>95%). The size reached by the plants (i.e., D, H) and the annual biomass yielded in these field trials (mean annual increments of about 12-14 t ha −1 year −1 for 3-5 years rotations, and CAI up to 15-20 t ha −1 year −1 according to Figures 1-4) are lower than the highest mean biomass production (20-50 t ha −1 year −1 ) reported in the Iberian Peninsula with other woody crops, such as Eucalyptus, kenaf or Leucaena [11,12,30,59,71,72], but it is within the highest production range reported for the taxa studied [18][19][20]23,73,74]. However, under conditions of high water and nutrient availability, mean biomass yields of around 20 t ha −1 year −1 can be obtained with hybrid poplar clones [18,75,76].…”

“…Recent studies have shown that Robinia pseudoacacia, Ulmus pumila and Populus sp. stand out in areas under a Mediterranean continental climate with cold winters, in Central Europe and North America, as they can tolerate winter frosts well below -20 °C [19,[28][29][30][31]. The latter has a great capacity to adapt to different environmental conditions, as well as a high hybridization capacity and ease of vegetative propagation.…”