Perennial biomass cropping and use: Shaping the policy ecosystem in European countries.

Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023-27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes.

Novel Miscanthus hybrids: Modelling productivity on marginal land in Europe using dynamics of canopy development determined by light interception.

New biomass crop hybrids for bioeconomic expansion require yield projections to determine their potential for strategic land use planning in the face of global challenges. Our biomass growth simulation incorporates radiation interception and conversion efficiency. Models often use leaf area to predict interception which is demanding to determine accurately, so instead we use low-cost rapid light interception measurements using a simple laboratory-made line ceptometer and relate the dynamics of canopy closure to thermal time, and to measurements of biomass.

Modelling the impact of forest management and CO-fertilisation on growth and demography in a Sitka spruce plantation.

Afforestation and reforestation to meet 'Net Zero' emissions targets are considered a necessary policy by many countries. Their potential benefits are usually assessed through forest carbon and growth models. The implementation of vegetation demography gives scope to represent forest management and other size-dependent processes within land surface models (LSMs).

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantation on tropical peatland in South East Asia: Photosynthetic response to soil drainage level for mitigation of soil carbon emissions.

While existing moratoria in Indonesia and Malaysia should preclude continued large-scale expansion of palm oil production into new areas of South-East Asian tropical peatland, existing plantations in the region remain a globally significant source of atmospheric carbon due to drainage driven decomposition of peatland soils. Previous studies have made clear the direct link between drainage depth and peat carbon decomposition and significant reductions in the emission rate of CO can be made by raising water tables nearer to the soil surface. However, the impact of such changes on palm fruit yield is not well understood and will be a critical consideration for plantation managers.

Short- and long-term carbon emissions from oil palm plantations converted from logged tropical peat swamp forest.

Need for regional economic development and global demand for agro-industrial commodities have resulted in large-scale conversion of forested landscapes to industrial agriculture across South East Asia. However, net emissions of CO from tropical peatland conversions may be significant and remain poorly quantified, resulting in controversy around the magnitude of carbon release following conversion. Here we present long-term, whole ecosystem monitoring of carbon exchange from two oil palm plantations on converted tropical peat swamp forest.

An assessment of oil palm plantation aboveground biomass stocks on tropical peat using destructive and non-destructive methods.

The recent expansion of oil palm (OP, Elaeis guineensis) plantations into tropical forest peatlands has resulted in ecosystem carbon emissions. However, estimates of net carbon flux from biomass changes require accurate estimates of the above ground biomass (AGB) accumulation rate of OP on peat. We quantify the AGB stocks of an OP plantation on drained peat in Malaysia from 3 to 12 years after planting using destructive harvests supported by non-destructive surveys of a further 902 palms.

Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) simulated hydrological impacts of land use change from temperate grassland to energy crops: A case study in western UK.

When considering the large-scale deployment of bioenergy crops, it is important to understand the implication for ecosystem hydrological processes and the influences of crop type and location. Based on the potential for future land use change (LUC), the 10,280 km West Wales Water Framework Directive River Basin District (UK) was selected as a typical grassland dominated district, and the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrology model with a geographic information systems interface was used to investigate implications for different bioenergy deployment scenarios. The study area was delineated into 855 sub-basins and 7,108 hydrological response units based on rivers, soil type, land use, and slope.

Measured and modelled effect of land-use change from temperate grassland to on soil carbon stocks after 12 years.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important carbon pool susceptible to land-use change (LUC). There are concerns that converting grasslands into the C bioenergy crop (to meet demands for renewable energy) could negatively impact SOC, resulting in reductions of greenhouse gas mitigation benefits gained from using as a fuel. This work addresses these concerns by sampling soils (0-30 cm) from a site 12 years (T) after conversion from marginal agricultural grassland into and four other novel hybrids.

Dactylis glomerata L. cultivation on mercury contaminated soil and its physiological response to granular sulphur aided phytostabilization.

Most mercury (Hg) deposition in the environment results from anthropogenic inputs, Chlor-Alkali Plants (CAPs) particularly had a significant Hg impact on the environment at a regional scale. Exposure to mercury compounds resulting in various toxic effects for living organisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of granular sulphur (S) soil amendment and cultivation of Dactylis glomerata to decrease gaseous mercury emission to the atmosphere and mercury mobility in soils affected by CAP activity in the past.

Soil NO emissions with different reduced tillage methods during the establishment of in temperate grassland.

An increase in renewable energy and the planting of perennial bioenergy crops is expected in order to meet global greenhouse gas (GHG) targets. Nitrous oxide (NO) is a potent greenhouse gas, and this paper addresses a knowledge gap concerning soil NO emissions over the possible "hot spot" of land use conversion from established pasture to the biofuel crop . The work aims to quantify the impacts of this land use change on NO fluxes using three different cultivation methods.

Soil nitrous oxide flux following land-use reversion from Miscanthus and SRC willow to perennial ryegrass.

Decarbonization of the world's energy supply is essential to meet the targets of the 2016 Paris climate change agreement. One promising opportunity is the utilization of second generation, low input bioenergy crops such as Miscanthus and Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) willow. Research has previously been carried out on the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of growing these feedstocks and land-use changes involved in converting conventional cropland to their production; however, there is almost no body of work understanding the costs associated with their end of life transitions back to conventional crops.

Breeding progress and preparedness for mass-scale deployment of perennial lignocellulosic biomass crops switchgrass, miscanthus, willow and poplar.

Genetic improvement through breeding is one of the key approaches to increasing biomass supply. This paper documents the breeding progress to date for four perennial biomass crops (PBCs) that have high output-input energy ratios: namely (switchgrass), species of the genera (miscanthus), (willow) and (poplar). For each crop, we report on the size of germplasm collections, the efforts to date to phenotype and genotype, the diversity available for breeding and on the scale of breeding work as indicated by number of attempted crosses.

How autochthonous microorganisms influence physiological status of Zea mays L. cultivated on heavy metal contaminated soils?

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of autochthonous microorganisms present in soil collected from heavy metal (HM) uncontaminated (Pb ≈ 59 mg kg, Cd ≈ 0.4 mg kg, Zn ≈ 191 mg kg), moderately (Pb ≈ 343 mg kg, Cd ≈ 12 mg kg, Zn ≈ 1876 mg kg), and highly (Pb ≈ 1586 mg kg, Cd ≈ 57 mg kg, Zn ≈ 3280 mg kg) contaminated sites on Zea mays elemental composition, physiological status, and growth parameters. For this purpose, half of the collected soil was sterilized and soil characterization was performed.

Consensus, uncertainties and challenges for perennial bioenergy crops and land use.

Perennial bioenergy crops have significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contribute to climate change mitigation by substituting for fossil fuels; yet delivering significant GHG savings will require substantial land-use change, globally. Over the last decade, research has delivered improved understanding of the environmental benefits and risks of this transition to perennial bioenergy crops, addressing concerns that the impacts of land conversion to perennial bioenergy crops could result in increased rather than decreased GHG emissions. For policymakers to assess the most cost-effective and sustainable options for deployment and climate change mitigation, synthesis of these studies is needed to support evidence-based decision making.

Economic and Environmental Assessment of Seed and Rhizome Propagated in the UK.

Growth in planted areas of for biomass in Europe has stagnated since 2010 due to technical challenges, economic barriers and environmental concerns. These limitations need to be overcome before biomass production from can expand to several million hectares. In this paper, we consider the economic and environmental effects of introducing seed based hybrids as an alternative to clonal ().

Establishment, Growth, and Yield Potential of the Perennial Grass on Degraded Coal Mine Soils.

is a giant C4 grass native to Asia. Unlike most C4 species, it is relatively cold tolerant due to adaptations across a wide range of altitudes. These grasses are characterized by high productivity and low input requirements, making them excellent candidates for bioenergy feedstock production.

An Operational In Situ Soil Moisture & Soil Temperature Monitoring Network for West Wales, UK: The WSMN Network.

This paper describes a soil moisture dataset that has been collecting ground measurements of soil moisture, soil temperature and related parameters for west Wales, United Kingdom. Already acquired in situ data have been archived to the autonomous Wales Soil Moisture Network (WSMN) since its foundation in July 2011. The sites from which measurements are being collected represent a range of conditions typical of the Welsh environment, with climate ranging from oceanic to temperate and a range of the most typical land use/cover types found in Wales.

Environmental Influences on the Growing Season Duration and Ripening of Diverse Germplasm Grown in Six Countries.

The development of models to predict yield potential and quality of a Miscanthus crop must consider climatic limitations and the duration of growing season. As a biomass crop, yield and quality are impacted by the timing of plant developmental transitions such as flowering and senescence. Growth models are available for the commercially grown clone (), but breeding programs have been working to expand the germplasm available, including development of interspecies hybrids.

Relationships between soil parameters and physiological status of Miscanthus x giganteus cultivated on soil contaminated with trace elements under NPK fertilisation vs. microbial inoculation.

Crop growth and development can be influenced by a range of parameters, soil health, cultivation and nutrient status all play a major role. Nutrient status of plants can be enhanced both through chemical fertiliser additions (e.g.

Environmental costs and benefits of growing for bioenergy in the UK.

Planting the perennial biomass crop in the UK could offset 2-13 Mt oil eq. yr, contributing up to 10% of current energy use. Policymakers need assurance that upscaling production can be performed sustainably without negatively impacting essential food production or the wider environment.