Agroeconomic Value of Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Cultivars

Abstract

Jerusalem artichoke - Helianthus tuberosus, belonging to the Asteraceae family is a crop with multiple uses. The goal of this study was to evaluate some agro biological peculiarities and the quality indices of aerial phytomass and tubers from the local cultivars ‘Maria’ and ‘Solar’ of Helianthus tuberosus. It was found that the studied cultivars of Jerusalem artichoke, at the mowing time, reached a plant height of 215-290 cm, the phytomass yield was 5.29-8.45 kg/m2 green mass or 1.84-1.92 kg/m2 dry matter with 7.7-11.6% crude protein, RFV=124-135, 10.44-10.66 MJ/kg metabolizable energy and 6.46-6.67 MJ/kg net energy for lactation. The fermentation and quality indices of prepared silages were: pH=3.95-4.17, 41.3-50.9 g/kg lactic acid, 8.7-18.6 g/kg acetic acid, butyric acid was not detected, 9.7-14.5% crude protein, RFV=118-120, 10.17-10.35 MJ/kg metabolizable energy and 6.19-6.37 net energy for lactation. The tuber productivity varied from 2.67 kg/m2 to 3.91 kg/m2, with 32.74-33.71% dry matter. The biochemical composition of the dry matter of tubers: 9.94-10.24% crude protein, 0.71% crude fat, 4.77-8.12% crude cellulose, 55.30-58.29% inulin, 5.12-8.02 % ash, 0.09-0.16% calcium and 0.30-0.32% phosphorus with 11.45-12.12 MJ/kg metabolizable energy. The Jerusalem artichoke phytomass from local cultivars can be used for anaerobic digestion in biogas plants with biochemical methane potential of 298-316 liters/kg organic matter. The stems of the studied cultivars quickly shed leaves and dehydrate in the autumn-winter period; they can be chopped, milled and used as feedstock for the production cellulosic ethanol and solid bio fuel. The obtained results indicate the possibility of using the local Jerusalem artichoke cultivars ‘Maria’ and ‘Solar’ for the creation of plantations as a source of fodder and as feedstock to obtain different products, including renewable bioenergy.