RT Journal Article
T1 Mixed short rotation plantations of Populus alba and Robinia pseudoacacia for biomass yield
A1 Oliveira Rodríguez, Nerea de
A1 Río, Miren del
A1 Forrester, David I.
A1 Rodríguez Soalleiro, Roque
A1 Pérez Cruzado, César
A1 Cañellas Rey de Viñas, Isabel
A1 Sixto Blanco, Hortensia
K1 Poplar
K1 Black locust
K1 Mixture
K1 Short Rotation Coppice (SRC)
K1 Biomass
AB The possibility of using mixtures of species in an attempt to increase biomass yield in plantations managed in short rotation coppice (SRC) has received little attention in scientific literature. The hypothesis is that mixtures of two complementary species under SRC are more productive than monocultures. The objective of this study was to compare the growth and yield of mixtures and monocultures at the tree and stand levels. A mixed plantation of Populus alba L. genotype ‘111’ (P) and the nitrogen-fixing species Robinia pseudoacacia L. genotype ‘Nyirsegi’ (R) was established in 2012 in the centre of Spain, at a density of 10,000 trees per hectare (spacing 0.4 m × 2.5 m). The experimental design included pure as well as mixtures with different proportions of the species (100P:0R; 75P:25R; 50P:50R; 25P:75R and 0P:100R) following a completely randomized block design with 64 trees per plot. There was a positive effect of the mixture 75P:25R in terms of biomass yield, achieving a total yield of 13.66 Mg ha−1 yr−1 (26.83% higher than that of the P. alba monoculture and 89.99% higher than the R. pseudoacacia monoculture), with both species achieving a greater biomass yield per tree. In the other mixture treatments there was no significant positive effect of the nitrogen (N) fixing species on the non-N-fixing species. Within-row interactions were more important than between row-interactions. There was a positive effect on the yield of R. pseudoacacia when the neighbouring trees (within a row) on both sides were P. alba, while P. alba responded better with a P. alba tree on one side and a R. pseudoacacia tree on the other. The results point to the presence of competitive reduction or facilitation as the mechanisms for increased biomass yield under certain mixture ratios, and indicates the importance of mixing within the same row rather than row-by-row, in this type of plantation.
PB Elsevier
YR 2018
FD 2018
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/41067
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/41067
LA eng
NO Oliveira Rodríguez, N., Río, M. del, Forrester, D.I., Rodríguez Soalleiro, R., Pérez Cruzado, C., Cañellas Rey de Viñas, I. & Sixto Blanco, H. (2018). Mixed short rotation plantations of Populus alba and Robinia pseudoacacia for biomass yield. Forest Ecology and Management, 410, 48–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2017.12.034
NO This is the author’s version of the work. The definitive version was published in Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 410 (2018), available online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2017.12.034
NO This research was funded by MINECO (Spain) through the framework of the INIA projects RTA 2008-00025-C02-01, co-financed with funds from FEDER, and the COST-Action FP1206 “European Mixed Forests: Integrating Scientific Knowledge in sustainable Forest Management (EuMIXFOR) which provides a fellowship for a short term scientific mission. The authors wish to thank José Pablo de la Iglesia and Ana Parras for their careful monitoring of the plantation. We also thank Biopolar and Alasia Clones for providing the plant material. We are also grateful to Adam Collins for his English language review of the manuscript.
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026