Title:
Harding Grass (Phalaris Aquatica L.) - Can It Be the Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris Arundinacea L.) of the South Europe?
Author(s):
Alexopoulou, E., Papamichael, I., Tsiotas, K., Pappas, I.A., Christou, M.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
Perennial grasses considered as ideal feedstock for bioenergy production as well as for production of biobased products. Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) is a perennial C3 grass native to the temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North America. In 4FCROPS was selected as an ideal perennial grass for the Nemoral climatic area of Europe. In Finland the production area of reed canary grass in 2008 was about 20,000 ha, while in Sweden was under 1,000 ha. Its yields varied from 4 to 10 t/ha. Recently, Harding grass (Phalaris aquatica L.) has been considered as the reed canary grass of the South Europe. It’s a C3 crop established by seed in autumn and harvested every summer. Its yields are quite similar with the ones recorded for reed canary grass. It has been selected as source for cellulosic biomass for second generation biofuels production due its low content of lignin and the high content of celluloses and hemicelluloses. In the field trials that have been established in Greece the yields varied a lot from 5 to 20 t/ha depending on the specific climatic conditions in the area of the cultivation, the cultural practices as well as the age of the plantation. The yields are quite high in years 2 and 3 of the plantation, while the yields could be very low after the year 15. The distances between the rows should be very small (25-30 cm) in order the crop to produce high yields as well as to compete successfully the weeds. Its calorific value is 4300 kcal/kg and it’s quite similar with the calorific value of switchgrass, miscanthus and giant reed. Its ash content is 7.5% and it’s quite close with the ash content (8%) that has been reported for reed canary grass.
Keywords:
perennial grasses, biomass yields, cellulosic biomass, south Europe
Topic:
Biomass resources
Subtopic:
Energy crops and energy grasses
Event:
21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1BV.3.11
Pages:
319 - 321
ISBN:
978-88-89407-53-0
Paper DOI:
10.5071/21stEUBCE2013-1BV.3.11
Price:
FREE
