Abstract
Successful plantation efforts growing Robinia pseudoacacia L. (black locust) in the drier regions of Hungary and East Germany (Brandenburg), have demonstrated the potential of black locust as an alternative tree species for short-rotation biomass energy plantations. The response of black locust to water limitation was investigated in a lysimeter experiment. Plants were grown under three different soil moisture regimes, with values set at 35%, 70%, and 100% of the soil water availability, namely WA35, WA70, and WA100. Their morphological adaptation and productivity response to water constraint were assessed together with their water-use efficiency. Furthermore, the ecophysiological adaptation at the leaf level was assessed in terms of net photosynthesis and leaf transpiration. During the growing season, plants in the WA35, WA70, and WA100 treatments transpired 239, 386, and 589 litres of water respectively. The plants subjected to the WA35 and WA70 treatments developed smaller leaves compared with the plants subjected to the WA100 treatment (66% and 36% respectively), which contributed to the total leaf area reduction from 8.03 m2 (WA100) to 3.25 m2 (WA35). The total above-ground biomass produced in the WA35 (646 g) and WA70 (675 g) treatments reached only 46% and 48% of the biomass yield obtained in the WA100 (1415 g). The water-use efficiency across all treatments was 2.31 g L−1. At vapour pressure deficit (VPD) values 2 kPa. Black locust plants can adapt to prolonged drought conditions by reducing water loss through both reduced transpiration and leaf size. However, under well-watered conditions it does not regulate its transpiration, and therefore it cannot be considered a water-saving tree species.
Highlights
Successful plantation efforts growing Robinia pseudoacacia L. in the drier regions of Hungary and East Germany (Brandenburg), have demonstrated the potential of black locust as an alternative tree species for short-rotation biomass energy plantations
Tree transpiration The cumulative transpiration mean increased from 239 ± 44 L (WA35) to 386 ± 7 L (WA70) and 589 ± 149 L (WA100) (Figure 3)
The highest water consumption occurred during the late summer months (August and September), with 61%, 60%, and 68% of the cumulative transpiration for WA35, WA70, and WA100 respectively
Summary
Successful plantation efforts growing Robinia pseudoacacia L. (black locust) in the drier regions of Hungary and East Germany (Brandenburg), have demonstrated the potential of black locust as an alternative tree species for short-rotation biomass energy plantations. (black locust) in the drier regions of Hungary and East Germany (Brandenburg), have demonstrated the potential of black locust as an alternative tree species for short-rotation biomass energy plantations. (black locust) in the drier regions of Hungary and East Germany (Brandenburg) (Rédei 2002; Rédei et al 2008; Grünewald et al 2009), with an annual mean precipitation lower than 600 mm yr−1, have demonstrated the potential of black locust as an alternative tree species for short-rotation biomass energy plantations. Veste et al (2013) estimated an annual nitrogen fixation by black locust of 47.9 - 84.9 kg N ha−1 yr−1 on reclaimed postmining land in Lusatia (East Germany) This tree species is known to be relatively drought tolerant compared with other temperate, deciduous tree species (Mantovani et al 2014, Veste and Kriebitzsch 2013). The results of this study provide detailed information on the physiology and biomass production capacity of black locust across a range of soil water conditions, which is essential for guiding future management strategies for short-rotation forestry
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