Biomass productivity and water use relation in short rotation poplar coppice (Populus nigra x P. maximowiczii) in the conditions of Czech Moravian Highlands

Abstract

FISCHER, M., TRNKA, M., KUČERA, J., FAJMAN, M., ŽALUD Z.: Biomass productivity and water use relation in short rotation poplar coppice (Populus nigra x P. maximowiczii) in the conditions of Czech MoravianHighlands. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2011, LIX, No. 6, pp. 141-152 The plantations of short rotation coppice (SRC) usually based on poplar or willow species are promising source of biomass for energy use. To contribute to decision-making process where to establish the plantations we evaluated the water consumption and its relation to biomass yields of poplar hybrid clone J-105 (Populus nigra x P. maximowiczii) in representative conditions for Czech-Moravian Highlands. Water availability is usually considered as one of the main constraints of profi table SRC culture and therefore we focused on analyzing of the linkage between the aboveground biomass increments and the total stand actual evapotranspiration (ET a ) and on water use effi ciency of production (WUE P ). During the seasons 2008 and 2009 the total stand ET a measured by Bowen ratio energy balance system constructed above poplar canopy and the stem diameter increments of randomly chosen sample trees were examined. The stem diameters were subsequently converted to total aboveground biomass (AB) by allometric equation obtained by destructive analysis at the beginning of 2010. The biomass volume and its increment of particular trees were subsequently converted to the whole canopy growth and correlated with the ET a values. Our results revealed that there was a statistically signifi cant relation between water lost and biomass growth with coeffi cients of determination r 2 0.96 and 0.51 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. By using multiple linear regression analysis additionally accounting for eff ect of precipitation events and thermal time (sums of eff ective temperatures above +5 °C) the AB growth was explained from 98 and 87% in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Therefore for further analysis the multiple linear regression model was applied. The dynamic of seasonal WUE P (expressed as gram of AB dry matter per thousand grams of water) reached up to 6.2 and 6.8 g kg −1 with means 3.13 and 3.54 g kg −1 in both executed years respectively. These values are situated in higher range comparing to the other broadleaved tree species of temperate climate zone and suggest that economically profi table plantation (defi ned by yield at least in the range of 10-12 Mg ha −1 year −1 of dry matter content) will consume more than 450-500 mm per growing season and thus will demand a locality with higher and adequately temporally distributed amount of precipitation especially in rain fed areas such as the discussed Czech-Moravian Highlands.short rotation coppice, biomass increment, water consumption, water use effi ciencyThe term short rotation coppice (SRC) is generally used for any high-yielding woody species managed in a coppice system usually grown especially for energy use on arable land. Typically, these crops are harvested on a 3-7 years long ro...

The Evaluation of Radiation Use Efficiency and Leaf Area Index Development for the Estimation of Biomass Accumulation in Short Rotation Poplar and Annual Field Crops

“…However, for the coppiced plantation, we developed a specific allometric equation using the methodology suggested by Fischer et al [53]. In winter 2011 (after two years of coppiced growth), 25 trees were randomly selected in the range of 10-40 mm diameter at breast height (DBH, 130 cm above the ground level) and trees were harvested 10-15 cm above the ground level.…”

Productivitatea clonelor de plop hibrid instalate in culturi intensive in nord-estul Romaniei

“…Producția de biomasă în culturile de plop cu ciclu scurt este direct influențată de un cumul de factori, printre cei mai importanți se numără mărimea densității de plantare (DeBell et al 1993, Kauter et al 2003, Liang et al 2006), mărimea ciclului de producție (Nassi o di Nasso et al 2010), tipul de clonă și condițiile de stațiune, în special de cantitatea de umiditate (din sol și din precipitații) (Fischer et al 2010b, Fischer et al 2010a.…”

A spatial analysis model to assess the feasibility of short rotation forestry fertigated with urban wastewater: Basilicata region case study

“…The WUE was obtained by dividing the biomass produced, expressed as organic dry matter, by the water lost by transpiration or whole evapotranspiration (de Wit, 1958;Lindroth et al, 1994;Cienciala and Lindroth, 1995;Linderson et al, 2007;Forrester et al, 2010;Fischer et al, 2011). Vice versa, by multiplying the WUE (expressed in grams of dry biomass per kilo of water lost by evapotranspiration) by the seasonal ET c you determine the potential production of annual dry biomass.…”

“…The biomass productivity was calculated from the water-use efficiency of productivity (WUE) (Fischer et al, 2011). The WUE was obtained by dividing the biomass produced, expressed as organic dry matter, by the water lost by transpiration or whole evapotranspiration (de Wit, 1958;Lindroth et al, 1994;Cienciala and Lindroth, 1995;Linderson et al, 2007;Forrester et al, 2010;Fischer et al, 2011).…”