Selection and testing of Populus alba and Salix spp. as bioenergy feedstock: Preliminary results

Although large amounts of residue from agriculture and forestry are presently available for the production of bioenergy, to ensure a sustainable, long-term supply of biomass, it is necessary to establish and grow perennial energy crops on marginal agricultural land that is specifically intended to produce biomass for energy. Preliminary research has identified several perennial crops as potential biofuel crops including perennial grasses, poplars and willows. The high content of cellulose in these species indicates that the materials could be a potential feedstock for bioethanol production too. To select highly productive white poplar and willow clones suitable for these purposes, progenies of Villafranca (Populus alba) and willow clones from different species, mainly Salix matsudana, Salix jessoensis, Salix fragilis and Salix alba, were tested. The preliminary results obtained from plantations set up with 1111 plants per hectare are presented. Higher than the average productivity has been obtained from half-sib progenies of the clone ‘Villafranca’. Among the families obtained with the willow breeding work, including intra-specific hybrids of S. alba, some crosses showed higher growth rates and biomass dry matter yields compared to their parents’ mean values.