Abstract
A plant’s genotype, their environment, and the interaction between them influence its growth and development. In this study, we investigated the effect of these factors on the growth and biomass yield of willows in short-rotation coppice (SRC) under different harvesting cycles (i.e., two- vs. three-year rotations) in Quebec (Canada). Five of the commercial willow cultivars most common in Quebec, (i.e., Salix × dasyclados Wimm. ‘SV1’, Salix viminalis L. ‘5027’, Salix miyabeana Seeman ‘SX61’, ‘SX64’ and ‘SX67’) were grown in five sites with different pedoclimatic conditions. Yield not only varied significantly according to site and cultivar, but a significant interaction between rotation and site was also detected. Cultivar ‘5027’ showed significantly lower annual biomass yield in both two-year (average 10.8 t ha−1 year−1) and three-year rotation (average 11.2 t ha−1 year−1) compared to other cultivars (15.2 t ha−1 year−1 and 14.6 t ha−1 year−1 in two- and three-year rotation, respectively). Biomass yield also varied significantly with rotation cycle, but the extent of the response depended upon the site. While in some sites the average productivity of all cultivars remained fairly constant under different rotations (i.e., 17.4 vs. 16 t ha−1 year−1 in two- and three-year rotation, respectively), in other cases, biomass yield was higher in the two- than in the three-year rotation or vice versa. Evidence suggests that soil physico-chemical properties are better predictors of willow SRC plantation performance than climate variables.
Highlights
Woody biomass is a renewable resource with multiple applications, and can be used as feedstock for pulp and paper production as well as by the energy or biofuel industry [1]
We found that diameter growth was reduced compared to the two-year rotation, at all sites the S. miyabeana cultivars showed higher growth rates compared to ‘5027’ and ‘SV1’, which showed intermediate values (7.0 mm year−1 )
Since diameter and height play a major role in determining the total woody biomass of the plant at the end of each growing season, biomass of the willow plants varied significantly according to site (p < 0.0001) and cultivar (p < 0.0001)
Summary
Woody biomass is a renewable resource with multiple applications, and can be used as feedstock for pulp and paper production as well as by the energy or biofuel industry [1]. Short-rotation coppice (SRC) is a well-established plant production technique used to manage a broad variety of woody species, mostly for bioenergy purposes. This cropping system was defined in the late 1980s as a silvicultural approach based on short clear-felling cycles, which uses intensive cultural techniques with genetically superior planting material and often relies on coppice regeneration [2]. Concerns were raised about the need to reduce its footprint on the environment while maintaining economic profitability [10] This has led to management models that rely on less external input, often by recycling different types of waste, including ash [11], sewage
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