Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008;178(2):358-370.
doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02396.x. Epub 2008 Mar 5.

Yield and spatial supply of bioenergy poplar and willow short-rotation coppice in the UK

Affiliations
Free article

Yield and spatial supply of bioenergy poplar and willow short-rotation coppice in the UK

Matthew J Aylott et al. New Phytol. 2008.
Free article

Erratum in

  • New Phytol. 2008;178(4):897

Abstract

Limited information on likely supply and spatial yield of bioenergy crops exists for the UK. Here, productivities are reported of poplar (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.) grown as short-rotation coppice (SRC), using data from a large 49-site yield trial network. A partial least-squares regression technique was used to upscale actual field trial observations across England and Wales. Spatial productivity was then assessed under different land-use scenarios. Mean modelled yields ranged between 4.9 and 10.7 oven-dry tonnes (odt) ha(-1) yr(-1). Yields were generally higher in willow than in poplar, reflecting the susceptibility of older poplar genotypes to rust and their tendency for single stem dominance. Replacing 10% of arable land, 20% of improved grassland and 100% of set-aside grassland in England and Wales with the three most productive genotypes would yield 13 Modt of biomass annually (supplying 7% of UK electricity production or 48% of UK combined heat and power (CHP) production). Results show existing SRC genotypes have the immediate potential to be an important component of a mixed portfolio of renewables and that, in future, as new and improved genotypes become available, higher yields could extend this potential further.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Andersen RS, Towers W, Smith P. 2005. Assessing the potential for biomass energy to contribute to Scotland's renewable energy needs. Biomass & Bioenergy 29: 73-82.
    1. Armstrong A. 1997. The United Kingdom network of experiments on site/yield relationships for short rotation coppice. Research Information Note 294. Edinburgh, UK: British Forestry Commission Research Agency.
    1. Avery BW. 1980. Soil classification for England and Wales: higher categories. Soil Survey Technical Monograph 14. Cranfield, UK: Cranfield University.
    1. Bauen A. 2001. Biomass energy, greenhouse gas abatement and policy integration. Aspects of Applied Biology 65: 353-363.
    1. Berndes G, Hoogwijk M, Broek R. 2003. The contribution of biomass in the future global energy supply: a review of 17 studies. Biomass & Bioenergy 25: 1-28.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources