A Review of Industrial Crop Yield Performances on Unfavorable Soil Types

Industrial crop cultivation on marginal agricultural land limits indirect land-use change effects that pose a threat to food security. This review compiles results from 91 published crop-specific field trial datasets spanning 12 relevant industrial crops and discusses their suitability for cultivation on unfavorable soil types (USTs). It was shown that the perennial species Miscanthus (Miscanthus Andersson) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) performed well on USTs with both high clay and/or high sand contents. Information on stoniness (particles sizes > 2 mm), where mentioned, was limited. It was found to have only a small impact on biological yield potential, though it was not possible to assess the impact on mechanization as would be used at a commercial scale. For soils with extreme clay or sand contents, half of the crops showed moderate suitability. The large yield variations within and between crops revealed large knowledge gaps in the combined effects of crop type and agronomy on USTs. Therefore, more field trials are needed on diverse USTs in different climates with better equipment and more consistent measurements to improve the accuracy of potential yield predictions spatially and temporally. Additionally, larger trials are needed to optimize cultivation and harvesting.

Genetic Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance in Cluster Bean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.] Genotypes

Background: Cluster bean commonly known as guar is an important leguminous crop. It is widely exploited as an industrial crop because of its seeds which contain galactomannan rich endosperm. Nutrient rich green pods are used as vegetable for human consumption and plants as fodder for livestock. It is a drought tolerant hardy vegetable, which fixes atmospheric nitrogen. Even though it has great potential as a vegetable and industrial crop, it is not very popular in Kerala. So, there is a need for improvement and development of varieties suitable for climatic condition prevailing in Kerala. Hence, evaluation of germplasm has to be conducted as a preliminary step in-order to study extend of variability available in the germplasm and to identify suitable high yielding genotypes that can be utilized in the crop improvement programme. The present study was conducted to estimate genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and yield contributing characters among the collected cluster bean genotypes. Methods: Thirty accessions of cluster bean were evaluated during 2018. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with two replications. Statistical analysis was employed for estimation of various genetic parameters such as GCV, PCV, heritability and GAM. Result: The genotypes exhibited wide variability for all the characters studied. High estimates of GCV and PCV were observed for number of branches, number of pod clusters/plant, number of pods/plant, number of pods/cluster, pod weight and pod yield/plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for plant height, number of branches, number of pod clusters/plant, number of pods/plant, number of pods/cluster, pod weight and pod yield/plant which suggested the presence of addictive gene effects. Hence, pod yield in cluster bean could be improved through direct selection.

Biomass Yield of Selected Herbaceous and Woody Industrial Crops across Marginal Agricultural Sites with Shallow Soil

Agricultural land in Europe is affected by low rooting depth (LRD) on 27.9 Mha. This marginal agricultural land can potentially be used to grow industrial crops without directly threatening food security or biodiversity conservation. However, little is known about the yield performance of industrial crops at LRD conditions. This study therefore compiles and discusses the meaningful data available in scientific literature. Twelve relevant industrial crops were identified for Europe. Currently, robust information on good growth suitability for LRD conditions is available for only one industrial crop, namely reed canary grass (RCG). Because this information was taken from field trial results from a single site, it remains unclear what role other growing conditions such as soil quality and climate play on both the yield level and the biomass quality of RCG under LRD conditions. These uncertainties about the quantitative as well as qualitative performance of industrial crop cultivation on marginal agricultural land characterized by LRD represent a major agronomic knowledge gap. Here, more knowledge needs to be compiled through both expanded crop science activities and improved international information exchange to make more optimal use of the large LRD areas available for the transition to a bioeconomy.