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Journal Article
JA0479-13
Article TitleManagement swing potential for bioenergy crops
AuthorSarah C. Davis, Robert M. Boddey, Bruno J. R. Alves, Annette Cowie, Brendan H. George, Stephen Ogle, Pete Smith, Meine van Noordwijk and Mark T. van Wijk
Year2013
Journal TitleGlobal Change Biology Bioenergy
InstitutionJohn Wiley & Sons
Pages1-16
Call NumberJA0479-13
Keywordsbiofuel, corn, greenhouse gas, legume trees, mallee, Miscanthus, oil palm, soybean biodiesel, sugarcane, Zea mays
Abstract:
Bioenergy crops are often classi?ed (and subsequently regulated) according to species that have been evaluated as environmentally bene?cial or detrimental, but in practice, management decisions rather than species per se can determine the overall environmental impact of a bioenergy production system. Here, we review the greenhouse gas balance and ‘management swing potential’ of seven different bioenergy cropping systems in temperate and tropical regions. Prior land use, harvesting techniques, harvest timing, and fertilization are among the key management considerations that can swing the greenhouse gas balance of bioenergy from positive to negative or the reverse. Although the management swing potential is substantial for many cropping systems, there are some species (e.g., soybean) that have such low bioenergy yield potentials that the environmental impact is unlikely to be reversed by management. High-yielding bioenergy crops (e.g., corn, sugarcane, Miscanthus, and fast-growing tree species), however, can be managed for environmental bene?ts or losses, suggesting that the bioenergy sector would be better informed by incorporating management-based evaluations into classi?cations of bioenergy feedstocks.
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