Nutrient removal potential and biomass production by Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia on European rewetted peat and mineral soils.

Paludiculture, sustainable and climate-smart land use of formerly drained, rewetted organic soils, can produce significant biomass in peatlands whilst potentially restoring several additional wetland services. However, the site conditions that allow maximum biomass production and nutrient removal by paludiculture crops have rarely been studied. We studied the relationship between soil characteristics, including plant-available nutrients, peak biomass, stand age, harvest period, and nutrient removal potential for two important paludiculture species, Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis, on rewetted peat and mineral soils in a large-scale European survey.