agriculture Review Silphium perfoliatum—A Herbaceous Crop with Increased Interest in Recent Years for Multi-Purpose Use Dumitru Peni 1,* , Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski 1 , Anna Bordiean 1 , Michał Krzy˙zaniak 1 and Marcin D˛ebowski 2 1 Department of Plant Breeding and Seed Production, Faculty of Environmental Management and Agriculture, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac Łódzki 3, 10-724 Olsztyn, Poland;
[email protected] (M.J.S.);
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[email protected] (M.K.) 2 Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Warszawska 117, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland;
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[email protected] Received: 17 November 2020; Accepted: 14 December 2020; Published: 16 December 2020 Abstract: Silphium perfoliatum is a perennial crop native to North America that has been the subject of increased scientific interest in recent years, especially in Europe. It is drought- and frost-resistant, which makes it suitable for cultivation in Europe on marginal lands that are not used for growing other crops. This review analyzed the distribution and purposes of the cultivation of Silphium perfoliatum worldwide, as well as its biomass yields and characteristics as a feedstock for biogas production and other purposes. A total of 121 scientific publications on Silphium perfoliatum were identified, with the highest number (20 papers) published in 2019. It was found that higher biomass yields can be obtained at higher precipitation levels, with the use of fertilizers and an adequate type of 1 plantation. The mean dry matter yield of Silphium perfoliatum was 13.3 Mg ha− DM (dry matter), 1 and it ranged from 2 to over 32 Mg ha− DM.