FAIR-CT98-5063 Multi-use industrial crops for quality raw material

Contacts




To find similar Items, click on a keyword below:
Crops for Biocomposites/Boards : Crops for Solid Biofuels : FAIR Area 1.1 - Biomass and Bioenergy Chain : FAIR Marie Curie Research Training Grants : Paper/Pulp

Objectives:

The renewed world-wide interest in hemp as a source for a number of industrial products coincides with a reduction in European subsidies for agricultural primary production. The objective of this project was to provide a preliminary framework for fine-tuning hemp production. This sould result in a model to predict and evaluate the effects of environmental factors, agro-techniques and genotype on yield and quality of raw materials from biomass. A holistic approach was chosen; evaluation of yield and quality parameters were matched with an overall and integrated assessment of the environmental impact of the production of biomass crops. A further aim of the project is the implementation of the aforementioned model in a Geographical Information System FGIS) to extrapolate the model on a regional base. GIS will be used on a European regional level to map areas particularly suitable for biomass production. Biomass productions will be characterised qualitatively - this will be useful to create an informative base for normative purposes but also to find various applications for the same biomass crop according to its peculiar quality and to specific market requirements.

Activities and results:

The first period of research centred on different aspects of hemp modelling and hemp fibre quality. An extensive bibliographic search on the subject of natural fibres (emphasis on hemp) has been undertaken. To increase the amount of data available on hemp production and hemp fibre quality, a field experiment was set up where two different hemp cultivars were compared over five plant densities, in order to assess the effect of density, genotype and harvest time on yield and quality. During plant growth samples were taken in order to determine the dynamics of stem dry matter production and quality.

Conclusions:

Preliminary results of the experiments confirmed that hemp production is not affected by plant population when the crop density ranges from 30 to 270 plants per square m. Extended plant and fibre analysis was subsequently undertaken. The data collected during the field experiment was to be used to validate a hemp growth model.

Contacts

Scientific Supervisor

• P C STRUIK / Wageningen University Crop and Weed Ecology / NETHERLANDS