Responses in chemical traits and biomass allocation of Arundo donax L. to deficit resources in the establishment year

Abstract

A large expansion in renewable energy production is underway with an increasing focus on sustainable second-generation biofuels. Fast growing rhizomatous perennial grasses are leading candidates for lignocellulosic feedstock thanks to their positive energy balance, and low ecological/agro-management demands. Biomass accumulation is favored by the efficient use of available resources. The aim of this study was to identify which accumulation processes were most affected in the establishment year of a giant reed (Arundo donax L.) field crop grown under water and N deficiencies. The relative plasticity of growth of A. donax in response to various levels of resource availability was evaluated. A field scale experiment was carried out, and treatments were arranged as a randomized complete block, strip-plot design with irrigation treatments as the main plot factor and pre-planting N rate as the sub-plot factor. Biometric relationships between variables were assessed to understand how agro-management factors influence the above ground biomass of giant reed, as well as yield over time. Evidence is presented indicating that growth is strongly enhanced by water availability (+97% dry weight biomass). Changes in composition were not significant within or among fixed treatments, rather changes were observed over time. A high content of glucans and xylans were detected from early stage, and as the mobilization of minerals increased, lignin content significantly increased as well (from 12% to 36% w/w). These results suggest that an increase in the growth of A. donax in the establishment year is accomplished by a limited use of the water input.

Allocation pattern, ion partitioning, and chlorophyll a fluorescence in Arundo donax L. in responses to salinity stress

“…Arundo donax L. (giant reed) is a perennial rhizomatous grass widely distributed from the Mediterranean basin to subtropical wetlands, and is considered as an invasive species in many Mediterranean countries including Italy (Mascia et al 2013). Due to its high vigor, A. donax has been recently identified as a leading candidate crop for lignocellulosic feedstock, thanks to its positive energy balance, productivity in terms of yield potential, biomass characteristics, and low ecological/agro-management requirements (Lewandowski et al 2003;Pompeiano et al 2013) or under adverse environmental constrains (Jones et al 2014), including salinity (Nackley & Kim 2015;Williams et al 2009). Despite the general interest for A. donax, few and controversy studies have investigated the effect of salinity on biomass production and plant physiology.…”

Photosynthetic and Growth Responses of Arundo donax L. Plantlets Under Different Oxygen Deficiency Stresses and Reoxygenation

“…A. donax has been recently recognized as a leading candidate crop for lignocellulosic feedstock (for the production of energy, fuels and chemicals) due to its high biomass yield and quality, positive energy balance and low ecological/agronomical requirements for its management (Lewandowski et al., 2003; Angelini et al., 2005). Additionally, the levels of nitrogen and water inputs do not affect its above-ground biomass quality composition when used as lignocellulosic feedstock for bioprocessing into fuels (Pompeiano et al., 2013). The species has been characterized by its efficient C 3 pathway, with high photosynthetic rates resulted from a high capacity for both maximum Rubisco and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate limited carboxylation rate under light-saturated conditions (Webster et al., 2016).…”

Reimplementation and reuse of the Canegro model: From sugarcane to giant reed

“…These features make the cultivation of giant reed advantageous from both an economic and energetic point of view even in marginal areas, where competition for land surfaces between food (or feed) and energy crops is not a critical issue. However, the interest in giant reed as an energy crop has increased only recently and this is probably the reason why process-based crop models for simulating this species are still not available, although a structural model (Thornby et al, 2007) and some phenological (Spencer and Ksander, 2006;Graziani and Steinmaus, 2009) and biometric (Pompeiano et al, 2013) relationships were proposed. Some peculiar features of giant reed (e.g., the presence of a rhizome and its role in determining the rate of stalk emission) make generic crop simulators (e.g., CropSyst, WOFOST, STICS) unsuitable, and attempts to target their calibration would likely lead to poor performance or to inconsistent parameterizations, potentially undermining model robustness (Confalonieri et al, 2010).…”