Within the course of a short study, the estimation and evaluation of nitrate leaching from areas with the energy plant Silphie has been carried out and compared to the nitrate leaching from energy maize areas. The nitrate leaching was estimated using the TZW simulation model INVAM over the autumn-winter period 2016/2017.
The cultivation of energy crops for biogas production is mainly based on maize with the known possible consequences for water bodies, for example in the form of nutrient and pesticide inputs. The focus is repeatedly on the Silphie (Silphium perfoliatum L.) as a water-protecting alternative to maize cultivation for energy generation in biogas plants, as it has a high yield per hectare and, as a permanent crop, also ecological advantages.
In a short study, the TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (German Water Centre) conducted studies on nitrate leaching under Silphie-plant. The practical areas were located in four regions of Baden-Württemberg. The aim of the investigations was to estimate and evaluate the nitrate leaching from Silphie areas and to compare it with the nitrate leaching of energy maize areas. With the help of the INVAM simulation model (= integral nitrate displacement and leaching model), which has already been successfully applied and validated at various locations, the nitrate leaching was estimated for the autumn-winter period 2016/2017.
The nitrate leaching of the investigated Silphie sites in Baden-Württemberg was predominantly low and on average lower compared to the energy maize comparison areas. The Silphie can therefore be cultivated in a water-protecting manner when fertilized according to plant requirements and can represent an urgently needed good alternative as an energy crop, especially in areas with crop rotation restrictions for maize (e.g. due to maize rootworm) or with a high maize percentage.
Publications:
Ball, T., Kiefer, J.: Durchwachsene Silphie - Untersuchungen zum Nitratstickstoffgehalt des Bodens an vier Standorten. Biogas Journal 5_2018, ISSN 1619-8913, 46-49 (2018)
