BioMatNet Item: AIR1-CT92-0041 - Sweet Sorghum, A Sustainable Crop for Energy Production in Europe

AIR1-CT92-0041
Sweet Sorghum, A Sustainable Crop for Energy Production in Europe

Contacts
Further Information

The project aims to :

Optimize the advantages of this crop in different pedoclimatic situations from north to south Europe;
Use previous data and obtain reliable references in order to propose a model for agro-industry systems (technical, economic and environmental) in different European scenarios;
Solve and reduce the limitations of this crop identified in the previous programme.

The activities will focus on:

The identified limitations of the crop
- adaptation to low temperature which limits productivity and geographical extension with eco-physiological studies and genetic improvement;
- harvesting with two main actions : improvement of the resistance to lodging by plant breeding and achievement of harvester prototype adapted to southern Europe agricultural system;
- juice extraction and fermentation of the bagasse
The identified limitations of the crop
- optimization of inputs, mainly water and nitrogen in order to take into account environmental considerations;
- improvement of potential and actual productivity model by common experiments focused on actual data, modelling activities and database exploitation;
- better definition of the quality of the raw material for industrial valorization
The use of the existing model and existing data for agricultural simulation, agro-industrial optimization, economic and environmental studies for different European scenarios, with specific actions on methodology (opportunity cost).

Sweet Sorghum a sustainable crop
for energy production in Europe

Contacts

Coordinator

EC Scientific Officer

Participant