Rotational Systems and Effects of Bioenergy Crops Reviewed

Researchers from the Department of Agroenvironmental Science and Technology, University of Bologna (Italy) recently reviewed "the potential of several rotations with energy crops and their possibilities of being included alongside traditional agriculture systems across different agro-climatic zones within the European Union". The review was made in anticipation of a rapid increase in the cultivation of energy crops for biofuel production over large areas of land in the next few years. As such, knowledge of rotational systems for these crops will be useful.

Well planned crop rotations are said to provide some advantages over continuous monoculture systems. This includes better nutrient cycling efficiency, maintenance of long-term land productivity, and control of pests and diseases. However, the researchers found that information about rotations of "dedicated bioenergy crops" was sparse in the literature. Among the findings of the review were: (1) for food crops which can be also cultivated as energy crops (such as sunflower or rapeseed), the rotational management practices described in the available literature can serve as a general guide and could be applicable, (2) "rotational management of new energy crops such as biomass sorghum, flax, Ethiopian mustard, kenaf, hemp, among others, is not well developed and fragmentary; therefore it is urgent to systematize the available information to fill the existing knowledge gaps", (3) for the establishment of specialized bioenergy crop rotations, additional studies will be needed in order to identify/develop new and better oilseed crops that are both pest-resistant and can have high oil yields for biodiesel production.

The full paper is published in the journal, Biomass and Bioenergy (URL above).