Industrial and bioenergy crops should include nonfood and nonfeed crops and generate agricultural products categorized as commodities and/or raw materials for industrial goods and bioenergy.
1. Introduction
It is mainly focused on the following groups of crops: SRC—short rotation coppice (willow, poplar, black locust, eucalyptus, et cetera, ), grasses (miscanthus, giant reed, switchgrass, reed canary grass, et cetera, ), herbaceous crops (Virginia mallow, Jerusalem artichoke, et cetera, ), fiber crops (hemp, et cetera, ), oil crops (camelina, crambe, castor, cardoon, et cetera, ), and other alternative crops and their residues that are suitable for the industry or energy sectors. Research with some of the most common willow varieties in Europe has shown that it is possible to effectively use marginal land for the cultivation of willow intended for industrial purposes. However, it must be underlined that the key element that determines the production effects is the appropriate selection of varieties. Varieties with high production potential developed fewer shoots, but were taller and larger in diameter than other varieties [1]. Additionally, in another study, where 15 genotypes were grown at two different sites and harvested in two consecutive three-year harvest rotations, the very high impact of the genotype (81%) on the yield of willow was demonstrated.
2. Industrial and Bioenergy Crops for Bioeconomy Development
It must be underlined that yields of
Miscanthus × giganteus clones were also comparable, if not slightly better than other lignocellulose energy crops (poplar, willow, or Schavnat) in Czech conditions.
Miscanthus × giganteus clones have good potential for commercial production of energy biomass, especially in warmer regions of Central and Eastern Europe with an annual sum of precipitation above 500–550 mm. The results show that the current economic conditions favor annual crops over
Miscanthus (for energy biomass) and that this new crop shows very good adaptation to the effects of climate change. Selected clones of
Miscanthus × giganteus reached high biomass yields despite very dry and warm periods and low-input agrotechnology, and they have good potential to become important biomass crops for future bioenergy and the bioeconomy
[2]. Additionally, the cup plant (
Silphium perfoliatum) is a new and promising bioenergy crop in Central Europe that can achieve high yields, especially on moist soils. However, spontaneous spread of this crop has already been documented, and especially valuable moist ecosystems could be at risk for becoming invaded by cup plant. Hence, fields for cultivating cup plant should be carefully chosen, and distances to such ecosystems should be held. If precautionary measures are observed, cup plant can take a place in the Central European agricultural landscape and make a valuable contribution to the conservation of biodiversity
[3]. It was also shown that other perennial industrial crops did not cause a decline in wild biodiversity in comparison with unmanaged marginal land. Nevertheless, the cultivation of some crop species can cause a decrease in diversity of flora and fauna in the long term. For example, miscanthus and black locust cultivation were linked with a decrease in the number of plant species. On the other hand, the greatest biodiversity of plants and animals among crops was linked with the cultivation of willow; however, other crops also provided a good habitat for arthropods. No significant decrease in abundance of pollinators or natural enemies of pests were found in any perennial industrial crop
[4].
These industrial and bioenergy crops can become an important source of biomass. Of course, the concept of their cultivation for nonfood (and/or nonfeed) uses is not new but, despite considerable investment in research and development, little progress has been made with regard to the introduction of such crops and their products into the market. For example, it is known that vegetable oil can surrogate petroleum products in many cases, as in cosmetics, biopolymers, or lubricants production. However, the cultivation of oil crops for the mere production of industrial oil would arouse concerns regarding competition for land use between food and non-food crops. Additionally, the economic sustainability is not always guaranteed, since the mechanical harvesting, in some cases, is still far from acceptable. It underlines that the mechanical harvesting of sunflower, canola, and cardoon seeds is performed relying on specific devices that perform effectively with a minimum seed loss. Crambe and safflower seeds can be harvested through a combine harvester equipped with a header for cereals. On the other hand, camelina and castor crops still lack the reliable implementation of combine harvesters
[5].
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/agriculture11090852