Cynara cardunculus L. as a biomass and multi-purpose crop: A review of 30 years of research

Cardoon as a Sustainable Crop for Biomass and Bioactive Compounds Production

“…Cardoon, considered as a tolerant species, can be suggested as a potential alternative crop for conserving the fragile agro‐systems of the Mediterranean area with positive effects on the environment through water management and soil erosion control . Its perennial life form, annual growth cycle and adaptation to drought stress, make this plant a superior candidate to be grown in the dry and marginal lands of the Mediterranean region as a perennial field crop for multi‐purpose uses …”

“…Seeding generally implies a degree of variability because the species is allogamous, but it is possible to produce F1 hybrids which are more uniform in behavior . Vegetative propagation or micro‐propagated plants assure genetic uniformity but involve higher costs and a considerable labor input . The growing cycle of the C. cardunculus initiates with seed germination and the rosette stage may last all winter.…”

“…In late spring, plants develop a floral escape with several heads (capitula). After full blossom and flower fertilization, the fruits ripen and finally the aerial biomass dries up in the summer . The growing cycle continues for several years because the root system, as a storage organ for carbohydrates, supply the compounds necessary for plant regrowth in early autumn …”

Fly Ash Characterization from Cynara cardunculus L. Gasification

“…They show a cardoon production of between 1.4 and 25 t db /ha·year, depending on the irrigation and annual rainfall with annual costs of around 65 €/t, including establishment and operating costs. Further information can be found in a recently published review which considers the research carried out with this feedstock in the last 30 years 30 . Different gasification studies have been performed using C. cardunculus L. as a feedstock [31][32][33][34][35][36][37] .…”

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“…), with a positive impact on the environment and farmers' income . Moreover, the cardoon biomass, which contains cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, can be used to produce energy (Raccuia and Melilli, 2007;Ierna et al, 2012;Ciancolini et al, 2013;Toscano et al, 2016;Ottaiano et al, 2017;Gominho et al, 2018;Petropoulos et al, 2019;Turco et al, 2019). Recent studies, on morphological and physiological characteristics and on seed germination process, showed intraspecific variability among different cardoon populations under salt and moisture stresses (Mauromicale and Ierna, 2004;Raccuia et al, 2004a;Benlloch-González et al, 2005;Pagnotta and Noorani, 2014;Toscano et al, 2016).…”