Biomass Yield Potential of Paulownia Trees in a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Environment (S Spain)

Abstract

Short-rotation woody crops (SRWC) are key for woody biomass production and management systems because they constitute renewable energy feedstocks for biofuels, bioenergy, and bioproducts that can be strategically located in the landscape. This study evaluates the potential biomass production of Paulownia elongate x fortunei and two of their clones (Cotevisa 2 and Suntzu 11) under short-rotation management in six different locations in Andalusia (S Spain). According the findings, Cotevisa 2 appeared to be most productive (1.8 fold higher) in terms of biomass than Suntzu 11. Also, significantly higher woody biomass yield was registered for both clones ranging between 7.2 and 14.0 and 7.2 t ha -1 in Villanueva del Rio y Minas (Sevilla province, Spain). By contrast, significantly lower paulownia biomass production was found at Palma del Rio (Cordoba province, Spain) between 1.7 and 2.3 t ha -1 . As with biomass yield, both Cotevisa 2 and Suntzu 11 paulownia clones at Villanueva del Rio y Minas (Sevilla) registered significantly higher carbon amounts (7.4 and 3.2 t C ha -1 , respectively). These findings highlight that these renewable-energy sources offer important advantage in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, and thus attention has been drawn to other environmental benefits and impacts associated with these systems that may offer other potential interests for the public good.