Abstract
Abstract A wealth of data and information on the cultivation of perennial biomass crops has been collected, but direct comparisons between herbaceous and woody crops are rare. The main objective of this research was to compare the biomass yield, the energy balance and the biomass quality of six perennial bioenergy crops: Populus spp., Robinia pseudoacacia, Salix spp., Arundo donax, Miscanthus × giganteus, and Panicum virgatum, grown in two marginal environments. For giant reed and switchgrass, two levels of nitrogen fertilization were applied annually (0–100 kg ha −1 ). Nitrogen fertilization did not affect biomass or energy production of giant reed; thus, it significantly reduced the energy return on investment ( EROI ) (from 73 to 27). In switchgrass, nitrogen fertilization significantly increased biomass production and the capacity of this crop to respond to water availability, making it a favorable option when only biomass production is a target. Net energy gain ( NEG ) was higher for herbaceous crops than for woody crops. In Casale, EROI calculated for poplar and willow (7, on average) was significantly lower than that of the other crops (14, on average). In Gariga, the highest EROI was calculated for miscanthus (98), followed by nonfertilized giant reed and switchgrass (82 and 73, respectively). Growing degree days 10 during the cropping season had no effect on biomass production in any of the studied species, although water availability from May to August was a major factor affecting biomass yield in herbaceous crops. Overall, herbaceous crops had the highest ranking for bioenergy production due to their high biomass yield, high net energy gain ( NEG ), and biomass quality that renders them suitable to both biochemical and thermochemical conversion. Miscanthus in particular had the highest EROI in both locations (16 and 98, in Casale and Gariga), while giant reed had the highest NEG on the silty‐loam soil of Gariga.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization did not affect biomass or energy production of giant reed.
- Taxon
- giant reed
Arundo donaxe1 - Treatment
- Nitrogen fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- biomass or energy productione1
- Direction
- did not affecte1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Nitrogen fertilization did not affect biomass or energy production of giant reed; thus, it significantly reduced the energy return on investment ( EROI ) (from 73 to 27)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization significantly reduced the EROI of giant reed from 73 to 27.
- Taxon
- giant reedArundo donaxe1
- Treatment
- Nitrogen fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- energy return on investment ( EROI )e1
- Direction
- significantly reducede1
- Value
- 73 to 27e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Nitrogen fertilization did not affect biomass or energy production of giant reed; thus, it significantly reduced the energy return on investment ( EROI ) (from 73 to 27)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization significantly increased biomass production of switchgrass.
- Taxon
- switchgrass
Panicum virgatume2 - Treatment
- nitrogen fertilizatione2
- Outcome
- biomass productione2
- Direction
- significantly increasede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“In switchgrass, nitrogen fertilization significantly increased biomass production and the capacity of this crop to respond to water availability”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization significantly increased the capacity of switchgrass to respond to water availability.
- Taxon
- switchgrassPanicum virgatume2
- Treatment
- nitrogen fertilizatione2
- Outcome
- the capacity of this crop to respond to water availabilitye2
- Direction
- significantly increasede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“In switchgrass, nitrogen fertilization significantly increased biomass production and the capacity of this crop to respond to water availability”
Claim · model-written summary
Net energy gain was higher for herbaceous crops than for woody crops.
Verbatim
t0“herbaceous and woody crops”
e3“Net energy gain ( NEG ) was higher for herbaceous crops than for woody crops”
Claim · model-written summary
In Casale, EROI of poplar and willow was significantly lower than that of the other crops.
- Outcome
- EROIe4
- Direction
- significantly lowere4
- Value
- 7, on averagee4
- Qualifier
- 14, on averagee4
- Comparator
- the other cropse4
- Setting
- Casalee4
Populus
SalixOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“In Casale, EROI calculated for poplar and willow (7, on average) was significantly lower than that of the other crops (14, on average)”
Claim · model-written summary
In Gariga, miscanthus had the highest EROI, 98.
MiscanthusOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“In Gariga, the highest EROI was calculated for miscanthus (98), followed by nonfertilized giant reed and switchgrass (82 and 73, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
In Gariga, nonfertilized giant reed had an EROI of 82, ranking after miscanthus.
Verbatim
e5“In Gariga, the highest EROI was calculated for miscanthus (98), followed by nonfertilized giant reed and switchgrass (82 and 73, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
In Gariga, switchgrass had an EROI of 73, ranking after nonfertilized giant reed.
- Taxon
- switchgrassPanicum virgatume5
- Outcome
- EROIe5
- Value
- 73e5
- Setting
- Garigae5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“In Gariga, the highest EROI was calculated for miscanthus (98), followed by nonfertilized giant reed and switchgrass (82 and 73, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Growing degree days 10 during the cropping season had no effect on biomass production in any of the studied species.
- Taxon
- herbaceous and woody cropst0
- Treatment
- Growing degree days 10e6
- Outcome
- biomass productione6
- Direction
- had no effecte6
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“herbaceous and woody crops”
e6“Growing degree days 10 during the cropping season had no effect on biomass production in any of the studied species”
Claim · model-written summary
Water availability from May to August was a major factor affecting biomass yield in herbaceous crops.
- Taxon
- herbaceous cropse7
- Treatment
- water availability from May to Auguste7
- Outcome
- biomass yielde7
- Qualifier
- a major factore7
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e7“water availability from May to August was a major factor affecting biomass yield in herbaceous crops”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbaceous crops had the highest ranking for bioenergy production overall.
Verbatim
e0“Overall, herbaceous crops had the highest ranking for bioenergy production due to their high biomass yield, high net energy gain ( NEG ), and biomass quality”
Claim · model-written summary
In Casale, miscanthus had the highest EROI, 16.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“Miscanthus in particular had the highest EROI in both locations (16 and 98, in Casale and Gariga)”
Claim · model-written summary
Giant reed had the highest net energy gain on the silty-loam soil of Gariga.
- Taxon
- giant reedArundo donaxe0
- Outcome
- NEGe0
- Direction
- the higheste0
- Setting
- silty‐loam soil of Garigae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“while giant reed had the highest NEG on the silty‐loam soil of Gariga”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · yield · Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)Results differ
29 papers in the same direction as this paper · 6 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- no effect
- no effect
32 papers more in this group
See all 36 papers →fertilization · yield · Arundo donax (giant reed)Positive and negative results
2 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.