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THE POTENTIAL PRODUCTIVITY OF C4 CORD-GRASSES AND GALINGALE FOR LOW INPUT BIOMASS PRODUCTION IN EUROPE.

Ziel



PLANTS WITH THE C4 PATHWAY OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CONVERT 40% MORE INTERCEPTED SOLAR RADIATION INTO PLANT BIOMASS AND ALSO HAVE ABOUT DOUBLE THE EFFICIENCY OF NITROGEN AND WATER USE THAN THOSE WITH THE MORE COMMON C3 PATHWAY. C4 SPECIES ARE RARE IN W.EUROPE BUT TWO CORDGRASSES (SPARTINA PECTINATA AND S.CYNOSUROIDES) AND GALINGALE (CYPERUS LONGUS), WHICH OCCUR NATURALLY IN TEMPERATE REGIONS, HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED ON MARGINAL AND AGRICULTURAL LAND IN IRELAND AND ENGLAND AND OUR AIM IS TO DETERMINE THEIR PRODUCTIVITY UNDER DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT REGIMES.
PERENNIAL RYEGRASS (LOLIUM PERENNE) IS USED AS A REFERENCE C3 CROP.
THE PLANTATION SITES DIFFER BOTH IN SOIL TYPES AND IN PREVIOUS LAND USAGE. IN IRELAND THE SITES ARE ON CUTOVER PEAT AND GLEY SOILS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE MARGINAL FOR AGRICULTURAL USE. IN ENGLAND THE SITES ARE ON GLACIAL BOULDER CLAYS AND SAND LOAMS WHICH HAVE BEEN IN ARABLE CULTIVATION. ANNUAL PRODUCTION WILL BE DETERMINED FOR TWO LEVELS OF FERTILIZER INPUT (I.E. TYPICAL LEVELS CURRENTLY APPLIED TO CEREALS AND ONE-TENTH OF THIS) AND TWO HARVEST REGIMES (I.E. SINGLE AND DOUBLE CUTS EACH YEAR).
THE AVAILABILITY AND UTILISATION OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS BY THE PLANTS IS BEING INVESTIGATED. THE PRESENCE OF NITROGEN FIXING ASSOCIATIONS WITH THE PLANTS WILL BE INVESTIGATED BY MEASUREMENTS OF ACETYLENE REDUCTION, 15N STUDIES AND SCREENING FOR NITROGEN FIXING ORGANISMS.
DURING 1986 THE TRIAL PLOTS OF THE C4 SPECIES WERE ESTABLISHED BY PLANTING YOUNG PLANTS WHICH HAD BEEN PROPAGATED IN IRELAND AND ENGLAND AT A DENSITY OF 25 PLANTS M TO THE POWER OF MINUS 2. PERENNIAL RYEGRASS WAS ESTABLISHED FROM SEED. AT MONTHLY INTERVALS, INDIVIDUAL PLANT SURVIVAL HAS BEEN MONITORED IN EACH PLOT. IN ADDITION, THE GROWTH AND SPREAD OF FOUR PLANTS IN EACH PLOT HAS BEEN FOLLOWED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE RATE OF EXPANSION AND THE PATTERN OF ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PLANTS. ABOVE GROUND YIELD MEASUREMENTS WILL START IN 1987.
THIS PROJECT SHARES COLLABORATIVE ASPECTS WITH THAT HEADED BY DR S.P. LONG, DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX, ENGLAND (CONTRACT NO: EN3B003300)

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THE PROVOST, FELLOWS AND SCHOLARS OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN HEREINAFTER TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
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