Chicory and Jerusalem artichoke productivity in different areas of Italy, in relation to water availability and time of harvest

Abstract

Inulin is an important polysaccharide synthesised by different crops, which, in the EU has been included in the system\ud of sugar quotas since 1994. Currently, one of the major problems of the agro-industry is the need to extend\ud the length of the sugar crop harvest season. It was therefore decided, also in relation to the increased demand for\ud inulin, to study the two main inulin producing crops in Italy (chicory and Jerusalem artichoke), to verify yield and\ud quality potential and stability in relation to some important agronomic factors such as irrigation and time of harvest.\ud The work was conducted in 1999 and 2000 in four areas of Italy (Udine, Rovigo, Bologna and Bari). The effects\ud evaluated were time of harvest (3 for chicory and 2 for Jerusalem artichoke) and irrigation system (evapotranspiration\ud replacement and dry regime, with irrigation applied only when strictly necessary) on the production\ud of storage organs, sugars and inulin in the two crops. The highest chicory root yield was in Bologna, with an average\ud production of 65.6 t ha-1 (fresh weight), compared to Rovigo (54.4 t ha-1), Bari (46.5 t ha-1) and Udine (38.7 t\ud ha-1). For final tuber yield in Jerusalem artichoke, Bari was the most productive environment with an average of 80\ud t ha-1, followed by Bologna (61 t ha-1) and Udine (55.5 t ha-1). However, when this crop is whole-plant harvested\ud (stalks and tubers) at pre-flowering, Bologna, with high stalk yields (58.7 t ha-1) appeared to be the most suitable\ud environment. This type of harvesting was also shown to be more productive in terms of sugar and inulin yield. The\ud total sugar content in the different organs analysed (roots, stalk and tubers) was always higher in Udine compared\ud to Bologna, for both crops. Lastly, the length of the inulin chain (average degree of polymerisation [DP]) diminishes\ud with the delaying of the harvest in both crops. The Bologna area had the highest potential in terms of chicory\ud root production, while for the tubers yield of Jerusalem artichoke, the Bari environment was the most productive.\ud But, when Jerusalem artichoke is instead considered as a crop for whole-plant harvest (stalks and tubers),\ud Bologna, with a very high stalk yields, becomes the most suitable area. The highest sugar content in roots, stalks\ud and tubers of both crops was found in the Udine trial

Variation of inulin content, inulin yield and water use efficiency for inulin yield in Jerusalem artichoke genotypes under different water regimes

“…These results were similar to those reported previously (Monti et al, 2005a;Baldini et al, 2006;Vandoorne et al, 2012). Water stress decreased plant growth, leaf area and photosynthetic capacity which in turn led to a significant decrease in tuber yield and resulted in reduce inulin yield (Vandoorne et al, 2012).…”

Influence of NPK fertilisation and harvest date on agronomic performance of Jerusalem artichoke crop in the Guadiana Basin (Southwestern Spain)

“…To evaluate this possibility, it is required to study the influence of harvest date on agronomic performance, which has been carried out by several authors (Kocsis et al, 2007;Saengthongpinit and Sajjaanantakul, 2005;Baldini et al, 2004Baldini et al, , 2006Soja et al, 1990;Schorr-Galindo and Guiraud, 1997;Chabbert et al, 1983;Dorrell and Chubey, 1977). Depolymerisation of inulin during ageing of tubers has been observed, so tuber utilisation for alcohol production should take into account this phenomenon (Schorr-Galindo and Guiraud, 1997).…”

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) productivity in different Italian growing areas: a modelling approach

“…The highest production of the entire research project was obtained corresponding to a very late harvest time; for the final yield of Jerusalem artichoke tubers, the Bari environment was the most productive. This crop adapts well to a hot arid climate, such as that in the south of Italy, on condition that the limited water availability is compensated for by good soil depth and a water table within reach of the exploratory capacities of its root apparatus (Baldini et al, 2006). The integration of the specific algorithm in CSS in order to represent transloca- For each parameter, values have to be inserted, corresponding to the following stages: plant emergence from soil, complete soil covering, end of vegetative phase, start of accumulation in storage organs, physio logical maturity and harvest maturity.…”

“…Jerusalem artichoke is relegated today to small areas mainly for the production of tubers for human or livestock consumption, so there could be interesting prospects for high earning potential with an early whole-plant harvest (stalks plus tubers); however, there are still problems connected to the perfecting of harvest machinery and processing methods (Baldini et al, 2006). The whole-plant harvesting method has always produced higher yields than the traditional harvesting of tubers alone, with the agronomic advantage of freeing the land earlier (Paolini et al, 1996;Baldini et al, 2004).…”

“…The whole-plant harvesting method has always produced higher yields than the traditional harvesting of tubers alone, with the agronomic advantage of freeing the land earlier (Paolini et al, 1996;Baldini et al, 2004). The crop can be cultivated as: i) an annual crop, with the harvest of stalks and tubers together, or ii) a multi-year crop, with only the aerial biomass harvested each year (D'Egidio et al, 1998;Baldini et al, 2006). These considerations and the current need to find new renewable energy sources open new prospects for Jerusalem artichoke as a biomass crop for energy uses, particularly for liquid biofuel production (bioethanol; Curt et al, 2006), methane from anaerobic digestion (Lehtomaki et al, 2008) and gas from pyrolysis (Encinar et al, 2009).…”