Influence of Propagation System on Arundo Donax L. Yield in the First Two Years of Cultivation

It’s known that yield of perennial bioenergy crops are low in the first year of cultivation, but it increases rapidly afterwards. In order to investigate, how in the semiarid Mediterranean environment, the crop management influence Arundo donax plant growth, the yield in relation to propagation methods and irrigation was studied. The field experiment was carried out in Catania (Southern Italy, 10 m a.s.l., 37° 24' N, 15° 03' E) from 2009 to 2011. Two agamic propagation methods (rhizome and stem cuttings) at two soil water restoration (100% ETm and irrigation only at planting) in a factorial experiment were studied. Stem and rhizome sections were cut from plants of “Fondachello” Sicilian clone and planted on spring 2009. No irrigation and other input were applied in the second year. Yield and other biometric traits were assessed in each year. The emergence of new stems was earlier for the plant rhizomes derived rather than plant stem cuttings derived. No difference was measured between treatments in the second year emergence date (February 2010). In the first year (2010) dry aboveground biomass was significantly higher for plant rhizomes derived (4.6 t ha­1) compared to plant stem cuttings derived (2.3 t ha­1) and from irrigated (4.0 t ha­1) against rainfed condition (2.3 t ha­1), but soil water availability affected yield only from stem cuttings (3.4 ­1 ­1 t haand 1.2 t ha, respectively for irrigated and rainfed conditions), while no difference was observed for rhizome ­1 ­1 ­1 cuttings (4.1 t haand 5.0 t hafor the same order). Second year biomass yield was 16.4 t ha. The observed differences between all the studied treatments in the first year was substantially confirmed in the second one.