This title appears in the Scientific Report :
2022
Please use the identifier:
http://hdl.handle.net/2128/33126 in citations.
Comparing various weed treatments and their influence on the establishment and biomass yield of Sida hermaphrodita L. Rusby under field conditions
Comparing various weed treatments and their influence on the establishment and biomass yield of Sida hermaphrodita L. Rusby under field conditions
Aim and approach used: The perennial herbaceous plant Sida hermaphrodita L. Rusby (hereafter referred to as Sida) has been investigated in the recent years with regard to its potential as a promising energy crop for both solid fuel and biogas production. However, its successful establishment in the...
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Personal Name(s): | Jablonowski, Nicolai David (Corresponding author) |
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Ohrem, Benedict / Cohnen, Jens / von Gillhaussen, Philipp / Cossel, Moritz von | |
Contributing Institute: |
Pflanzenwissenschaften; IBG-2 |
Imprint: |
2022
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Conference: | 30th European Biomass Conference & Exhibit, online (Germany), 2022-05-09 - 2022-05-12 |
Document Type: |
Conference Presentation |
Research Program: |
Biological and environmental resources for sustainable use |
Link: |
Get full text OpenAccess |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Aim and approach used: The perennial herbaceous plant Sida hermaphrodita L. Rusby (hereafter referred to as Sida) has been investigated in the recent years with regard to its potential as a promising energy crop for both solid fuel and biogas production. However, its successful establishment in the field remains a crucial bottleneck, and needs particular care to guarantee sufficient biomass yield in subsequent years. To investigate in how far Sida can be established in competition with weeds, a field experiment has been implemented in Western Germany: Sida root cuttings were planted in a density of 2 plants/m2, on a total area of 420 m2 in March 2021. This field trial was aimed at identifying the most non-invasive and sustainable establishing practice for Sida under both ecological and economical aspects. Five treatments were tested regarding their effect on the local weed establishment and hence their competitive effects on the target Sida plants, consisting of four replicates, each 3x6 m, in a completely randomized design: (i) a layer of Miscanthus mulch, (ii) manual weeding, (iii) herbicide application, (iv) cover-cropping with Trifolium repens L. (living mulch), and (v) negative control. In November 2021, weed species’ relative abundance and species specific ground cover were determined in each sub-plot. Tiller number and biomass yield of the target crop Sida will be evaluated in spring 2022 for each treatment, aiming for the identification of the most suitable and sustainable weed treatment during Sida establishment and in the long-term. The Sida biomass development will be regularly monitored in reference to the co-occurring weeds during the following years.Scientific innovation and relevance: The identification of a successful, low-cost, environmental friendly and sustainable Sida-establishment practice is needed to guarantee a successful plant establishment and high biomass yields in return. Identifying alternative cropping systems is important since the application of broad-spectrum herbicides such as glyphosate to suppress weeds should be reduced on EU level. Additionally, evaluating the ability of Sida to compete against different degrees of weed pressure during its establishment phase is important to estimate the initial investment needs (e.g. weed control, etc.) and the resulting biomass yields.Results or preliminary results and conclusions: During the vegetation period in 2021, it was shown that Sida growth was highly affected by weeds in all treatments, except for “manual weed control”. However, the treatments had different effects on the weed’s relative abundance and species composition, while Miscanthus mulch suppressed most weed species except for Cirsium arvense. In spring 2022, the biomass yields of Sida will be determined and statistically analyzed with regard to both the applied treatments and the determined weed abundance. Based on these results, preliminary conclusions will be drawn and presented at the EUBCE 2022. |