DOCSLIB.ORG

Biofuels in Africa Impacts on Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and Human Well-Being

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Biofuels in Africa Impacts on Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and Human Well-Being UNU-IAS Policy Report UNU-IAS Policy Report Biofuels in Africa Biofuels in Africa Impacts on Ecosystem Services, Impacts on Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and Human Well-being Biodiversity and Human Well-being Alexandros Gasparatos Oxford University Lisa Y. Lee UNU-IAS Graham P. von Maltitz CSIR Manu V. Mathai UNU-IAS Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira UNU-IAS Katherine J. Willis Oxford University United National University Institute of Advanced Studies 6F, International Organizations Center Paci co-Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minato Mirai Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220-8520, Japan Tel +81 45 221 2300 Fax +81 45 221 2302 Email [email protected] URL http://www.ias.unu.edu printed on Forest Stewardship Council TM (FSC TM) certi ed paper using soy-based ink UNU-IAS Policy Report Biofuels in Africa Impacts on Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and Human Well-being Alexandros Gasparatos Oxford University Lisa Y. Lee UNU-IAS Graham P. von Maltitz CSIR Manu V. Mathai UNU-IAS Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira UNU-IAS Katherine J. Willis Oxford University Copyright ©United Nations University, University of Oxford, and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) South Africa The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University or the Institute of Advanced Studies, the University of Oxford, or the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies 6F, International Organizations Center Pacifico-Yokohama 1-1-1 Minato Mirai Nishi-ku, Yokohama, 220-8502 Japan Tel: +81-45-221-2300 Fax: +81-45-221-2302 Email: [email protected] URL http://www.ias.unu.edu/ ISBN 978-92-808-4537-2 (pb) ISBN 978-92-808-4536-5 (eb) Cover Photo Credit: ©Shutterstock/Eric Isselée, Sugarcane field Design and Layout: Xpress Print Pte Ltd Printed by Xpress Print Pte Ltd in Singapore Printed on Forest Stewardship CouncilTM (FSCTM) certified paper using soy-based ink Contents Contents Message from the Director ........................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... 6 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 9 1.1 Definitions ........................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Biofuel drivers, feedstocks and policies in Africa ............................................ 10 1.2.1 Drivers ....................................................................................................... 10 1.2.2 Feedstocks and policies ........................................................................... 10 1.3 Modes of production ........................................................................................ 11 1.4 Sustainability impacts and institutional setting .............................................. 12 1.5 Aims and objectives .......................................................................................... 13 2. Methodology ........................................................................................................... 14 3. Jatropha biodiesel ................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Background and uses ........................................................................................ 18 3.2 Ecosystem services ............................................................................................. 20 3.2.1 Provisioning services ................................................................................ 20 3.2.1.1 Fuel ............................................................................................... 20 3.2.1.2 Food, fodder and fibre ................................................................ 22 3.2.1.3 Water ............................................................................................ 23 3.2.1.4 Other provisioning services ......................................................... 23 3.2.2 Regulating services .................................................................................. 24 3.2.2.1 Climate change regulation .......................................................... 24 3.2.2.2 Air quality regulation .................................................................. 26 3.2.2.3 Erosion regulation ....................................................................... 26 3.2.3 Cultural services ....................................................................................... 26 3.3 Biodiversity ........................................................................................................ 27 3.4 Human well-being ............................................................................................ 29 3.4.1 Rural development .................................................................................. 29 3.4.1.1 Impact on employment ............................................................... 30 3.4.1.2 Impact on income ........................................................................ 32 3.4.2 Energy security and access to energy resources ..................................... 35 3.4.3 Food security and access to food ............................................................ 37 3 Contents 3.4.4 Health ....................................................................................................... 38 3.4.5 Land tenure and social conflicts ............................................................. 39 4. Sugarcane ethanol .................................................................................................. 41 4.1 Background ....................................................................................................... 41 4.2 Ecosystem services ............................................................................................. 43 4.2.1 Provisioning services ................................................................................ 43 4.2.1.1 Fuel ............................................................................................... 43 4.2.1.2 Food, fodder and fibre ................................................................ 44 4.2.1.3 Water ............................................................................................ 45 4.2.2 Regulating services .................................................................................. 46 4.2.2.1 Climate change regulation .......................................................... 46 4.2.2.2 Air quality regulation .................................................................. 46 4.2.2.3 Erosion regulation ....................................................................... 47 4.2.3 Cultural services ....................................................................................... 47 4.3 Biodiversity ........................................................................................................ 47 4.4 Human well-being ............................................................................................ 49 4.4.1 Rural development .................................................................................. 49 4.4.1.1 Impact on employment ............................................................... 49 4.4.1.2 Impact on income ........................................................................ 50 4.4.2 Energy security and access to energy resources ..................................... 51 4.4.3 Food security and access to food ............................................................ 52 4.4.4 Health ....................................................................................................... 53 4.4.5 Land tenure and social conflicts ............................................................. 54 5. Linking ecosystem services impacts to human well-being and poverty alleviation ................................................................................................................ 56 6. Research gaps .......................................................................................................... 74 7. Policy recommendations ......................................................................................... 77 8. Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 87 Appendix .................................................................................................................. 90 References .................................................................................................................. 95 4 Message from the Director Message from the Director Two decades have passed since nations of the world assembled in Rio de Janeiro and agreed to adopt a sustainable development (SD) agenda, promising to chart a development path that is equitable, environmentally just and economically rewarding. We now stand at a crossroads looking for the right path towards the world we want. The prognosis is not encouraging. According to many studies conducted by research or policy bodies, we seem to have made some progress, but still fall far short of what is required to sustain current levels of well-being without compromising our environment. Negative environmental trends continue
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Physicochemical, Pasting and Sensory Properties of Yam/Plantain Flour Enriched with Soybean Flour
    GSJ: Volume 7, Issue 12, December 2019 ISSN 2320-9186 681 GSJ: Volume 7, Issue 12, December 2019, Online: ISSN 2320-9186 www.globalscientificjournal.com PHYSICOCHEMICAL, PASTING AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF YAM/PLANTAIN FLOUR ENRICHED WITH SOYBEAN FLOUR 1Oloye, D.A*., 2Udeh Charles, 3Olawale-Olakunle, O. E., 1Orungbemi, O.O 1Department of Food Science and Technology, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State 2 Department of Food Science and Technology, Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro 3 Department of Hospitality Management Technology, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo *corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT This study was aimed at producing a high nutritious food that will meet nutritional requirements of consumers. The blend of yam, Plantain, Soybean Flour were processed and the resulting flour were formulated at ratio 100:00, 95:5, 80:10:10 and 60:25:15 (Yam, Plantain and Soybean flour). The resulting products were subjected to proximate composition, physicochemical, pasting and sensory evaluation. The result show that addition of soybean and plantain increased the moisture, fibre, fat and protein contents of the blend by about 6.12%, 6.47%, 9.8%, and 10.15%, the bulk density of the blends range from 0.83 (100% yam flour) to 1.56g/m (60% of yam, 25% of plantain and 5% of soybean flour). The least gelation of the diet range from 1.00% to 8.00%. The study also show the pasting properties of the diet. The organoleptic evaluation shows that there was a significant difference among the blend. The addition of soybean flour to yam and plantain flour to form blends successfully produce a high protein energy food.
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Gas and Israel's Energy Future
    Environment, Energy, and Economic Development A RAND INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM THE ARTS This PDF document was made available CHILD POLICY from www.rand.org as a public service of CIVIL JUSTICE the RAND Corporation. EDUCATION ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Jump down to document6 HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit NATIONAL SECURITY research organization providing POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY objective analysis and effective SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY solutions that address the challenges SUBSTANCE ABUSE facing the public and private sectors TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY around the world. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE Support RAND WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE Purchase this document Browse Books & Publications Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore the RAND Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND mono- graphs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
    [Show full text]
  • February 2019 Garden & Landscape Newsletter Sweet Potato Or Yam?
    February 2019 Garden & Landscape Newsletter U of A Cooperative Extension, Pinal County 820 E. Cottonwood Lane, Bldg. C., Casa Grande, AZ 85122 (520) 836-5221 http://extension.arizona.edu/pinal Sweet Potato or Yam? Someone asked me the other day to describe the difference between a sweet potato and a yam. It really is an interesting story. The terms ‘sweet potato’ and ‘yam’ can be confusing because in both plants the section of the root that we eat, the tuber, look very similar. They look so much alike that sometimes people use the two names interchangeably, that is, they consider both a sweet potato and a yam the same thing. Actually, these two root crops are big time different, and botanically speaking that difference is like night and day. To really appreciate the difference between them, we have to take a short peek at the plant world. A basic rule of botany is that the plant kingdom is quite diverse. To make that diversity easier to understand, botanists have divided plants up into groups or divisions. Each member of a specific division has the same characteristics as the other members of that division. Some of the plant divisions are made up of simple plants, like algae and fungi. Others are more complex because they have tubes inside of them that carry water and energy throughout the plant. Almost all of our garden and landscape plants fit into this category. Of the several divisions of higher plants, the largest by far are those plants that produce flowers. Flowering plants are divided up into two major groups with the basic characteristic used by botanists to separate them being the number of energy storage structures in the seed.
    [Show full text]
  • Influence of Yam /Cassava Based Intercropping Systems with Legumes in Weed Suppression and Disease/Pest Incidence Reduction
    Journal of American Science, 3(1), 2007, Ibeawuchi, et al, Influence of Yam /Cassava Based Intercropping Systems Influence of Yam /Cassava Based Intercropping Systems with Legumes in Weed Suppression and Disease/Pest Incidence Reduction Ibeawuchi I.I., Dialoke S.A., Ogbede K.O., Ihejirika G.O., Nwokeji E.M., Chigbundu I.N., Adikuru N.C., Oyibo Patricia Obilo Department of Crop Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology ***P.M.B 1526 Owerri Nigeria, [email protected] Abstract: The research showed that intercropping significantly suppressed weeds, reduced pest/disease infestation and thereby can play a leading role in integrated pest management. However, no pests and diseases were observed in all plots at 4WAP while low incidence of termite and stem borers were observed at 8 and 12 WAP respectively. Although, there were heavy weed weights at 4 and 8 WAP, indicating weed troublesome nature and how it constitutes a major limiting factor to food production if not checked. Early canopy cover shading the land area on stakes and fast spread of the landrace legumes covering the ground reduced weed incidence at 12 WAP and beyond while timely weeding also reduced weed and host for pest and diseases syndrome prevalent in unweeded farms in rainforest zones. [The Journal of American Science. 2007;3(1):49-59]. Keywords: Weed suppression; diseased pest incidence; yam/cassava/legume; intercropping systems 1. Introduction through its diverse crop species and morphology, keep Intercropping plays a significant role in integrated low its attack and destructive tendencies since some of pest management. Intercropping with yam and or the intercrop species may be resistant to the pest and or cassava is vital in weed, pest and disease reduction disease.
    [Show full text]
  • Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes
    Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes 2nd Edition In collaboration with Laura Pazzaglia, Maomao Mom, Jill Nussinow, Barbara Schieving, and Chef AJ. The copyright of each recipe belongs to the author respectively. The copyright of the timing tables and this compilation belong to Instant Pot Company. Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes Foreword Thank you for your purchase of the Instant Pot, a state of the art cooking appli- ance that is designed to replace several appliances in your kitchen and produce the tastiest, most nutritional food possible in a safe, convenient and dependable way. Since electric pressure cookers are a relatively recent invention, recipes for this miracle appliance can be rather scarce. Chefs and authors are just beginning to develop and publish recipes that are tailor made for the awesome advantages of cooking with an electric pressure cooker. To help with that matter, we have invited five pioneer chefs and authors who have created a wide variety of delicious recipes in various cuisines specifically designed for your Instant Pot. In this booklet, we will introduce you to: Laura Pazzaglia is an undisputed expert on pressure cookers and pres- sure cooking. You'll enjoy her fresh perspective on European and Ameri- can cuisines at www.HipPressureCooking.com. Maomao Mom is a scientist at National Research Council Canada and a food lover. She has turned traditional Chinese recipes into step-by- step guides that may be reproduced by everyone. You can find a huge collection of recipes on her bilingual site at www.MaomaoMom.com. Jill Nussinow, known as the “Vegie Queen”, specializes in vegetarian whole food meals.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Feedstock Options for Biofuels Production in Ghana
    Journal of Sustainable Bioenergy Systems, 2013, 3, 119-128 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jsbs.2013.32017 Published Online June 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jsbs) Assessment of Feedstock Options for Biofuels Production in Ghana Francis Kemausuor, Joseph Oppong Akowuah, Emmanuel Ofori Department of Agricultural Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana Email: [email protected] Received March 9, 2013; revised April 10, 2013; accepted May 10, 2013 Copyright © 2013 Francis Kemausuor et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Li- cense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT In the wake of climate change and increasing fossil fuel prices, biofuels are becoming attractive to agricultural depend- ent economies in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions of the world. This study evaluates the energy production poten- tial of biomass resources grown on the available arable agricultural land under two principal scenarios: using 2.5% and 5% of the available arable land for energy crop expansion. Using conservative biofuel yields from crops in the sub-re- gion, a 2.5% of uncultivated arable land dedicated to four traditional crops grown in Ghana namely maize, cassava, sweet sorghum and oil palm could potentially replace 9.3% and 7.2% of transportation fuels by 2020 and 2030 respec- tively. Using 5% of the uncultivated arable land to cultivate the above four crops and jatropha could potentially produce biofuel to replace 17.3% of transport fuels by 2020 and 13.3% by 2030.
    [Show full text]
  • Interim, Report to
    k 7- h' - - -• Fi — aioe 7co(7z) 5- 7 - - 7- S 7 7-4 . S . SS' • '5 ' - I - / - . INTERIM, REPORT TO - . 7. 7 ' -~v U N E 5- /) ON IES (m)[17 INTERCROPPING ON , FARMING SYSTEMS -1 j /4. 55 5555 1975 S ' . '- . /7/ - " S • - , 'S l~ - 2- - -- 7 • INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE IBADAN-NIGERIA REVIEW OF UNEP SUPPORTED SYSTEMS AGRONOMY CROPPING SYSTEMS EXPERI MENT S The objective of the IITA Farming Systems Program is to replace existing food crop production systems by more efficient systems that attain I good yields of improved crop varieties on a sustained basis through :- developing suitable land clearing and soil management techniques that minimize erosion and soil deterioration. use of appropriate crop combinations, sequences and management practices that minimize use of costly inputs e.g. fertilizers and pesticides. development of appropriate technologies that increase agricultural productivity while minimizing drudgery, and accurate monitoring of environmental conditions and changes in such a way as to reliably relate these to crop performance, guide timing of operations and for predictive purposes. Emphasis in research and related activities is given to the problems and needs of smaliholders in the developing countries of the tropics. As a result of continuing increases in population and labour constrints, over 70% of these mainly subsistent and partially commercial smaliholders are operating small farm sizes of usually less than 2 hectares. These farms under decreasing periods of fallow are becoming increasingly subjected to serious soil deterioration and erosion under tropical rainstorms. The same degradation processes result from mechanized land, development and clearing techniques used in large scale farms in tropical Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Make the Sweet Potato Swap! Sweet Potatoes Deliver a Big Nutrition Punch with More Vitamin a and Fewer Calories Per Ounce Than White Potatoes
    make the sweet potato swap! Sweet potatoes deliver a big nutrition punch with more vitamin A and fewer calories per ounce than white potatoes. They also provide B vitamins, calcium and magnesium, and the skin is a good source of fiber. • Whip up mashed sweet potatoes. • Make oven-baked sweet potato fries Swap white They don’t even need any milk or seasoned with your favorite spices. potatoes for flavoring added. • Use shredded sweet potatoes to • Replace white potato chunks with make hash browns or to replace sweet potatoes sweet potato chunks in stews meat as a taco filling. to give family or soups. • Make sweet potato salad. favorites a nutrition • Boil sweet potatoes in broth and • Toss matchstick-cut sweet purée it to make a “creamy” potatoes into stir-fries. and flavor boost: fat-free soup. tips for parents DISCOVER A SWEET POTATO RAINBOW • Sweet potatoes are so sweet and flavorful on their own, there’s no need Ranging from centuries-old heirlooms to new hybrids, there are dozens of varieties cultivated in for added fat or sugar to tempt kids to the United States—and not all are orange! They also grow in shades of white, yellow, pink and eat them. purple. Orange ones typically contain the most vitamin A; purple ones typically are higher in antioxidants. The flesh ranges in sweetness and texture, from dry to moist. Try different varieties • Beyond cinnamon and nutmeg, try enhancing sweet potatoes with savory to discover your favorites. Start with these easy-to-find types: spices and herbs: cilantro, cumin or chili powder provide a great flavor contrast.
    [Show full text]
  • Biofuels and Food Security. HLPE Report 5
    HLPE REPORT 5 Biofuels and food security A report by The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition June 2013 HLPE Steering Committee members (June 2013) MS Swaminathan (Chair) Maryam Rahmanian (Vice-Chair) Catherine Bertini Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher Lawrence Haddad Martin S. Kumar Sheryl Lee Hendriks Alain de Janvry Renato Maluf Mona Mehrez Aly Carlos Perez del Castillo Rudy Rabbinge Huajun Tang Igor Tikhonovich Niracha Wongchinda HLPE Project Team members John Wilkinson (Team Leader) Suraya Afiff Miguel Carriquiry Charles Jumbe Timothy Searchinger Coordinator of the HLPE Vincent Gitz This report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) has been approved by the HLPE Steering Committee. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Committee on World Food Security, of its members, participants, or of the Secretariat. This report is made publicly available and its reproduction and dissemination is encouraged. Non- commercial uses will be authorised free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate this report should be addressed by e-mail to [email protected] with copy to [email protected] Referencing this report: HLPE, 2013. Biofuels and food security. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome 2013. 2 Table of Contents FOREWORD .............................................................................................................. 7 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................11 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................21 1 BIOFUEL POLICIES ...........................................................................................27 1.1 The emergence of policy-based biofuel markets – ethanol in Brazil and the US .............
    [Show full text]
  • Yield Effects of Intercropping White Guinea Yam (Dioscoreae Rotundata P.) Minisetts and Maize (Zea Mays L.) in the Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria
    African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 6(23), pp. 5227-5231, 19 October, 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR DOI: 10.5897/AJAR10.1135 ISSN 1991-637X ©2011 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Yield effects of intercropping white guinea yam (Dioscoreae rotundata P.) minisetts and maize (Zea mays L.) in the southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria M. O. Ijoyah Department of Crop Production, University of Agriculture, P. M. B. 2373, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected]. Accepted 28 February, 2011 Field experiments were conducted from May to October during 2003 and 2004 cropping seasons at the Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, to evaluate the yield effects of intercropping white Guinea yam (minisetts) and maize and to assess the advantages of the intercropping system. Maize yield was not significantly affected by intercropping with yam-minisett. However, tuber yield of yam-minisetts intercropped with maize was significantly (P≤0.05) depressed by 15.0 and 16.3% respectively, in 2003 and 2004 compared to monocultured yam-minisett. However, total yield was greater than the component crop yield, either planted as sole or in mixture. Intercropping yam-minisett and maize gave land equivalent ratio (LER) values of 1.98 and 1.95 respectively, for years 2003 and 2004, thus, indicating that higher productivity per unit area was achieved by growing the two crops together than by growing them separately. With these LER values, 49.5 and 48.7% of land was saved respectively, in 2003 and 2004, which could be used for other agricultural purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • Nutritional Composition of Yam Flour Fortified with Soy-Pomace
    International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue II, February 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705 Nutritional Composition of Yam Flour Fortified with Soy-Pomace Gbenga Daniel Abata 1, Emmanuel Orimisan Abata 2, Daniel Babatunde Lene 3,*, Margaret M. Mosimabale4 1,4Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal Polytechnic Ede Osun State, Nigeria 2,3Departments of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria *Corresponding Author Abstract:-In an attempt to improve the nutritional quality and has received tremendous popularity as a cheap protein source quantity of yam flour [Elubo] a local dish from yam, soybean in Nigeria. pomace was produced and added to the yam flour at different ratios. Two supplemented samples were obtained, SAMPLE A The addition of soy ingredients to products can improve the [50:50] and SAMPLE B [70:30] of yam flour and soybean protein quality of the product. And consumption of soy foods pomace respectively. The samples were subjected to proximate is increasing because of reported beneficial effects on analysis. SAMPLE A [50:50] contained 7.026 %, 2.07 %, 4.06 %, nutrition and health, such as lowering of plasma cholesterol, 23.07 %, 6.04 %, 57.71 % and 377.57 kcal of moisture, fibre, ash, prevention of cancer, diabetes and obesity and protection protein, fat and carbohydrate respectively while SAMPLE B against bowel and kidney diseases [6]. [70:30] contained 7.10 %, 1.21 %, 2.49 %, 17.33 %, 4.17 %, 67.69 % and 377.661 kcal of moisture, fibre, ash, protein, fat and Meanwhile, yam tubers which consist of about 21% dietary carbohydrate respectively. Therefore enriched yam flour with fibre are rich in carbohydrates, vitamin C, and essential pomace is of high protein and it will reduce the problems of minerals.
    [Show full text]
  • Agriculture-09-00194-V4.Pdf
    agriculture Communication Improving the Ecological Performance of Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deuter) through Intercropping with Woad (Isatis tinctoria L.) and Yellow Melilot (Melilotus officinalis L.) Moritz von Cossel 1,* , Yasir Iqbal 2 and Iris Lewandowski 1 1 Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany 2 College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +49-711-459-23557 Received: 31 July 2019; Accepted: 3 September 2019; Published: 6 September 2019 Abstract: Miscanthus is a promising high-yielding and low-input perennial biomass crop. However, as miscanthus does not produce nectar, it provides less support for pollinators than other perennial biomass crops, such as cup plant, Virginia mallow, or wild plant mixtures. This study discusses whether miscanthus could be intercropped with flower-rich biennial wild plants to further enhance its ecological functioning. In 2017, a demonstration plot was established in southwest Germany with two miscanthus intercropping regimes: woad (WAM) and yellow melilot (YAM). Both woad and melilot reached full bloom in 2018, the second year of cultivation. The flowering period of woad started and ended earlier than that of melilot. Woad remained harvestable until spring 2019, whereas the aboveground melilot was destroyed by brown hare in autumn 2018. However, the shed seeds of melilot reemerged homogeneously in 2019. The miscanthus developed better in YAM than WAM. This was most likely due to (i) stronger competition for water, nutrients, and light in WAM and (ii) nitrogen fixation advantage in melilot.
    [Show full text]