Poplar growth and wood production on a grassland irrigated for decades with potato starch wastewater

Gabriela Lorenc-Plucińska,Andrzej Lewandowski,Marta Walentynowicz

doi:10.1007/s10457-016-9930-2

Gabriela Lorenc-Plucińska, Andrzej Lewandowski + Show 1 more

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-9930-2

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Abstract

Irrigation of grasslands with potato starch wastewater causes changes in soil quality parameters, often resulting in decreased crop yields and sometimes causing animal diseases. Reduced agricultural income leads to designation of such grasslands for afforestation aimed at production of bioenergy crops and improvement of soil quality. In this study, Populus alba L. and seven different poplar clones were planted in 2009 on the grassland irrigated in 1973–2008 with potato starch wastewater and in non-irrigated, experimental forest. The survival, growth and wood production potential of planted poplars after 2–3 growing seasons were analyzed. Morphophysiological parameters of leaves, nutrients in leaves and fine roots, sugars in fine roots, leaf rust resistance, frost hardiness and their effects on growth were also determined. Stem diameter and stem volume index of poplars growing on the grassland were higher than in the experimental forest. Only Populus deltoides Bartr. × P. maximowiczii Henry clone ‘Eridano’ (in short ERI) had a survival rate of 100 % and the highest values of stem diameter (77 mm) and stem volume index (0.034 m3) in comparison with other poplars in both sites after 3 growing seasons. Clone ERI was also characterized by a high leaf rust resistance and frost hardiness. The results suggest that clone ERI is suitable as a bioenergy crop on grasslands irrigated with potato starch wastewater. Afforestation of the grassland improved the fertility of the soil by increasing concentrations of soil organic matter and availability of mineral nutrients (N, P, K, S and Fe).

Highlights

Fruit and vegetable processing industry, wineries, distilleries as well as olive oil and starch production use huge volumes of water and generate large quantities of wastewater (Hamilton et al 2011; Kretschmer et al 2002)
SPAD readings were closely correlated with chlorophyll concentration in the leaves of trees growing in the forest (r = 0.96; p \ 0.0001) and grassland (r = 0.78; p \ 0.0001)
This study shows that clone ERI is the best candidate for potential stem-wood production among all the poplar clones planted in the forest and grassland irrigated for many decades with potato starch wastewater (PSW)

Summary

Introduction

Fruit and vegetable processing industry, wineries, distilleries as well as olive oil and starch production use huge volumes of water and generate large quantities of wastewater (Hamilton et al 2011; Kretschmer et al 2002). Production of olive mill wastewater itself attains about 7–30 million 9 103 L per year (Mateo and Maicas 2015). In the EU, starch potatoes make 31 % of agricultural raw materials and the share of potato starch in the total starch production is about 20 % (The European Starch Industry Association 2014). In industrial starch production from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), huge amounts of potato starch wastewater (PSW) are derived from potato washing, rinsing and starch processing. Most often PSW is used to irrigate and fertilize fields (Rosenwinkel et al 2005)

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