Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy

Abstract Intensively managed grasslands are dominated by highly productive grass-clover mixtures. Increasing crop diversity by inclusion of competitive forbs may enhance biomass production and sustainable biofuel production. Here we examined if one or all of three forbs (chicory, Cichorium intybus L...

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Autores principales:	Wen-Feng Cong, Jingying Jing, Jim Rasmussen, Karen Søegaard, Jørgen Eriksen
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/41ab3336ec6845ee99888eecafe7d005
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:41ab3336ec6845ee99888eecafe7d0052021-12-02T15:06:13ZForbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy10.1038/s41598-017-01632-42045-2322https://doaj.org/article/41ab3336ec6845ee99888eecafe7d0052017-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01632-4https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Intensively managed grasslands are dominated by highly productive grass-clover mixtures. Increasing crop diversity by inclusion of competitive forbs may enhance biomass production and sustainable biofuel production. Here we examined if one or all of three forbs (chicory, Cichorium intybus L.; caraway, Carum carvi L.; plantain, Plantago lanceolata L.) included in ryegrass-red clover mixtures enhanced above- and below-ground productivity, and assessed their biofuel potentials, based on a three-year experiment with and without fertilisation as cattle slurry. We determined herbage yield, standing root biomass, and estimated methane energy output and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per energy unit using life cycle assessment. Results showed that plantain-containing grass-clover mixtures significantly increased herbage yield, while chicory- or caraway-containing mixtures maintained similar yields to the grass-clover mixture. Standing root biomass of the grass-clover mixture was enhanced by inclusion of caraway and plantain, with that of plantain further enhanced by fertilisation. The highest methane energy output was achieved in plantain-containing grass-clover mixtures. All unfertilised mixtures achieved the 60% reduction in GHG emissions compared to fossil fuel, whereas all fertilised mixtures did not meet the 60% reduction target. These findings suggest that including competitive forbs such as plantain in grass-clover mixtures enhances productivity, supporting low-carbon footprint bioenergy production.Wen-Feng CongJingying JingJim RasmussenKaren SøegaardJørgen EriksenNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Wen-Feng Cong Jingying Jing Jim Rasmussen Karen Søegaard Jørgen Eriksen Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy
description	Abstract Intensively managed grasslands are dominated by highly productive grass-clover mixtures. Increasing crop diversity by inclusion of competitive forbs may enhance biomass production and sustainable biofuel production. Here we examined if one or all of three forbs (chicory, Cichorium intybus L.; caraway, Carum carvi L.; plantain, Plantago lanceolata L.) included in ryegrass-red clover mixtures enhanced above- and below-ground productivity, and assessed their biofuel potentials, based on a three-year experiment with and without fertilisation as cattle slurry. We determined herbage yield, standing root biomass, and estimated methane energy output and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per energy unit using life cycle assessment. Results showed that plantain-containing grass-clover mixtures significantly increased herbage yield, while chicory- or caraway-containing mixtures maintained similar yields to the grass-clover mixture. Standing root biomass of the grass-clover mixture was enhanced by inclusion of caraway and plantain, with that of plantain further enhanced by fertilisation. The highest methane energy output was achieved in plantain-containing grass-clover mixtures. All unfertilised mixtures achieved the 60% reduction in GHG emissions compared to fossil fuel, whereas all fertilised mixtures did not meet the 60% reduction target. These findings suggest that including competitive forbs such as plantain in grass-clover mixtures enhances productivity, supporting low-carbon footprint bioenergy production.
format	article
author	Wen-Feng Cong Jingying Jing Jim Rasmussen Karen Søegaard Jørgen Eriksen
author_facet	Wen-Feng Cong Jingying Jing Jim Rasmussen Karen Søegaard Jørgen Eriksen
author_sort	Wen-Feng Cong
title	Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy
title_short	Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy
title_full	Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy
title_fullStr	Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy
title_full_unstemmed	Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy
title_sort	forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/41ab3336ec6845ee99888eecafe7d005
work_keys_str_mv	AT wenfengcong forbsenhanceproductivityofunfertilisedgrasscloverleysandsupportlowcarbonbioenergy AT jingyingjing forbsenhanceproductivityofunfertilisedgrasscloverleysandsupportlowcarbonbioenergy AT jimrasmussen forbsenhanceproductivityofunfertilisedgrasscloverleysandsupportlowcarbonbioenergy AT karensøegaard forbsenhanceproductivityofunfertilisedgrasscloverleysandsupportlowcarbonbioenergy AT jørgeneriksen forbsenhanceproductivityofunfertilisedgrasscloverleysandsupportlowcarbonbioenergy
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Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy

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