Biomass Production in Permanent Wet Grasslands Dominated with Phalaris arundinacea: Case Study of the Třeboň Basin Biosphere Reserve, Czech Republic

Abstract

Phalaris arundinacea is a highly productive perennial grass which inhabits both natural and human-affected wetlands. Along with natural genotypes, there are a number of cultivars bred for fodder production, especially in cool climatic areas. At present P. arundinacea is being investigated as a potential energy crop. Use of seminatural and natural stands of P. arundinacea as an energy resource requires a knowledge of the variation of aboveground biomass production, which forms the agricultural yield. This work gives an overview of long-term investigation of the production of P. arundinacea on various types of natural biotopes. It also presents results of a detailed field experiment assessing the effects of various management (cutting frequency, mulching, fertilizing) on the production of aboveground biomass in a seminatural wetland dominated by P. arundinacea. The results confirm that monodominant stands of P. arundinacea attain a high production in Central Europe. The seasonal maximum of aboveground biomass of natural stands ranged from 4 to 14 metric tonnes dry weight per hectare (t.ha−1) with an average of 9.5 t ha−1. Among the management types, the lowest annual agricultural yield of 4.1 t ha−1 (dry weight) was found in the treatment one cut per year and no fertilization. The maximum yield of 11 t ha−1 was achieved under three cuts per year and fertilization with a double dose of N and single doses of P and K. Two cuts per year and fertilization by P and K seem to combine the production and non-production functions in an optimum way.