Crambe grain yield and oil content affected by spatial variability in soil physical properties

Araceli Ciotti de Marins, José Miguel Reichert, Deonir Secco, Helton Aparecido Rosa and Gustavo Veloso

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2018, vol. 81, issue P1, 464-472

Abstract: Crambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst) is a Brassicaceae crop with high potential for biofuel production without conflict with food industry and with similar energy performance to fossil fuels, but there is almost no information on soil conditions affecting crop grain and oil production. We studied the spatial correlation between soil porous space, soil resistance to penetration, and bulk density of a clayey Oxisol (Ferralsol) with crambe grain yield and oil content. Four states of compaction were generated by using a roller compactor, in a 1-ha field, and 133 georeferenced sampling points were selected. In two consecutive years, these positions were used for soil physical characterization, and crambe harvesting for grain yield and oil content determinations. Soil resistance to penetration, bulk density, and pore space properties showed spatial dependence structure over time in three soil layers. After two years of crambe cultivation, soil bulk density and soil resistance to penetration values increased, and soil porosity decreased in all soil layers, showing that crambe root system was not able to improve soil physical composition properties. Soil bulk density up to 1.3Mgm−3 reduced grain yield and increased oil content of crambe. Increased soil bulk density and resistance to penetration, caused by additional soil compaction, changes crambe source/sink relationship, resulting in lower crambe grain yield, but in grains with higher oil content.

Keywords: Energy crops; Structural state; Spatial correlations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032117311371
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:81:y:2018:i:p1:p:464-472

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.08.003

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().