Title:
Land Use Change: from Traditional Cultivations to Poplar SRF
Author(s):
Bergante, S., Facciotto, G., Comolli, R., Ferré, C.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
The GHG sink and energy saving in land use change from food-feed crops to poplar Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) must be carefully evaluated and can change, based on environmental factors and cultivation practice. A trial, in the experimental farm of CRA-PLF at Casale Monferrato, Italy, was created to study energetic, economic and environmental impact of land use change. The trial contain 4 crops: a) corn (Zea mais L.), b) alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.); c) poplar (P. ×canadensis Mönch) SRF, very high plantation density and 2 year rotation; d) poplar SRF, high plantation density and 5 year rotation. The poplar SRF plots where divided in 4 thesis: i) irrigated, ii) fertilized, iii) fertilized and irrigated, iv) no treatment. Environmental properties and all cultural inputs for each cultivation was recorded. The soil CO2 fluxes were monitored. Total aboveground biomass productions were utilized to evaluate carbon sink.. Best poplar productions where reached by ‘irrigated' thesis. After three years of cultivation, the highest net carbon sinks were found for irrigated SRF plots, even if the best sink/source ratio was found for "no treatments" plots. Corn crop shows the highest CO2 emissions, due to the fertilizers and to N2O soil emissions. The alfa-alfa complex and repeated harvest play a heavy role on GHG emission.
Keywords:
cultivation, greenhouse gases (GHG), land use, poplar, short rotation forestry (SRF)
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Short rotation forestry and short rotation coppice
Event:
20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1CV.3.9
Pages:
409 - 416
ISBN:
978-88-89407-54-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/20thEUBCE2012-1CV.3.9
Price:
FREE
