Sida hermaphrodita Cultivation on Light Soil—A Closer Look at Fertilization and Sowing Density

Abstract

Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby is a promising perennial biomass crop to provide sustainable bioenergy via combustion. This study investigated cultivation practices for Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby on light soils in temperate climates. Therefore, two cultivation factors were varied over 8 years in a field trial: (i) fertilization with compost from urban green spaces (0, 10 and 20 t ha−1), and (ii) seeding amount (1, 2 and 3 kg ha−1). Compost fertilization and high seeding amount contributed to an increase in the number and height of Sida shoots while their thickness decreased. The applied compost fertilization increased the dry matter yield (DMY) of the plants by 24.9% and 50.7%, respectively, in all experimental years compared to the control. Compared to the lowest seeding rate, increasing the seeding rate to 2 and 3 kg ha−1 increased the DMY by 35.0% and 71.6%, respectively. Thus, the highest energy value of DMY of Sida hermaphrodita plants per unit area was also obtained for combining the highest organic compost fertilization and seeding strength. From this, it can be deduced that on light soils, it does not seem reasonable to choose a compost fertilizer rate below 20 kg ha−1 and a seeding amount below 3 kg ha−1.