Browsing by Person "von Cossel, Moritz"

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Agricultural diversification of biogas crop cultivation
(2018) von Cossel, Moritz; Lewandowski, Iris
For all types of agricultural land-use, more diverse cropping systems are required, with respect to the maintenance of ecosystem values such as biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation. This need for greater agricultural diversity is clearly illustrated by biogas crop cultivation. In Germany, maize currently dominates biogas crop cultivation due to its outstanding methane yield performance. However, the ecosystem value of maize cultivation decreases if good agricultural practices are ignored. Additionally, the poor aesthetical value of maize has led to biogas production gaining a negative reputation in society. To increase the diversity of biogas crop cultivation, alternative biogas crops such as amaranth and wild plant mixtures need to be investigated with respect to both yield performance and biogas substrate quality. The research objective of this study was the development of strategies for agricultural diversification of biogas crop cultivation. For this purpose, the following research questions were formulated: 1. How does amaranth perform as a biogas crop compared to maize and what are the major opportunities for and obstacles to the large-scale implementation of amaranth cultivation? 2. How does the spatial diversification ‘legume intercropping’ perform in amaranth compared to maize and what are the major opportunities for and obstacles to its practical implementation? 3. How do perennial wild plant mixtures perform in biomass production with respect to yield, quality and species diversity in the long term and what are the relevant agronomic factors? 4. How do available models perform in the prediction of specific methane yield of different crops based on their lignocellulosic biomass composition and how could they be improved? To address research questions 1 and 2, field trials with amaranth and maize were conducted in southwest Germany in the years 2014 and 2015. Amaranth established well in both years. Its dark red inflorescences attracted many insects such as honeybees, wild bees and bumble bees. Therefore, a systematic implementation of amaranth into biogas crop rotations could significantly improve their socio-ecological value in terms of biodiversity conservation and landscape beauty. However, amaranth showed significantly lower dry matter yields (DMY) and specific methane yields (SMY), together resulting in lower methane yields than maize in both years. Therefore, breeding and an optimization of agricultural practices such as sowing density, planting geometry and fertilization management are required to make amaranth more competitive in comparison to maize. To address research question 2, the amaranth field trials mentioned above also included treatments of legume intercropping with runner bean (RB, Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and white clover (WC, Trifolium repens, L.). The RB and WC developed equally well in amaranth and maize each year. For both amaranth and maize, the RB share of total DMY was low (5-10%) and did not significantly affect the total DMY. By contrast, WC had a significant negative effect on the DMY. Overall, the spatial diversification ‘legume intercropping’ could considerably improve the socio-ecological value of amaranth cultivation in terms of biodiversity conservation, greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation and soil protection. For research question 3, two different wild plant mixtures (WPM) were cultivated on three sites in southwest Germany from the years 2011 to 2015. At each location, the WPM showed great potential for both biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience. Numerous insect species were observed in the WPM stands each year, indicating WPM as a relevant cropping system for habitat networking. Furthermore, the aesthetic appearance of the WPM stands over the years demonstrated the potential positive effect WPM cultivation could have on the public perception of biogas production. The DMY of the WPM varied strongly depending on (i) the initial composition of species sown, (ii) the establishment procedure, (iii) the environmental conditions, (iv) the pre-crop, and (v) the number of predominant species. WPM were found to have low demands for fertilization and crop protection. Thus, WPM appear a promising low-input cropping system for the promotion of biodiversity conservation, habitat networking, soil and water protection, GHG mitigation and climate change adaptation. However, high DMY gaps remain a challenge for the practical inclusion of WPM in existing biogas cropping systems. With respect to research question 4, a meta-analysis revealed that available models proved to be much less precise than expected. Although outperforming all available models, the correlation of the new models was still low (up to r = 0.66). It was also found that non-linear terms are of less importance than crop-specific regressors including the intercept. This indicates that across-crop models including crop-specific configurations could help to improve the identification of alternative crops and cropping systems for a more diverse biogas crop cultivation in the future.
Climate‐based identification of suitable cropping areas for giant reed and reed canary grass on marginal land in Central and Southern Europe under climate change
(2023) Ferdini, Sofia; von Cossel, Moritz; Wulfmeyer, Volker; Warrach‐Sagi, Kirsten
Giant reed (GR) and reed canary grass (RCG) have emerged as promising perennial industrial crops for providing sustainable bioenergy from marginal land. However, there is great uncertainty among farmers and researchers about where these crops can be grown in the future due to climate change, which complicates a timely transition to a bioeconomy. Therefore, this study quantifies marginal land and suitable cropping areas for GR and RCG in Europe, as well as their overlap. To derive these areas, the present (1991–2020) and future (2071–2100, RCP8.5) growing degree days, growing season length, annual precipitation, and aridity index were analyzed using the E‐OBS observational dataset and EURO‐CORDEX regional climate simulations. The study concludes that while marginal land will decrease by ~18%, GR and RCG will profit from the changing European climate, increasing by ~24% and ~13%, respectively. Looking at regions of overlap between marginal land and the selected crops, a decrease of ~87% and an increase of ~462% is projected for RCG and GR, respectively. This is due to marginal land shifting southward, benefitting the warm‐season grass GR, while RCG prefers cooler climates.
Perennial biomass cropping and use: Shaping the policy ecosystem in European countries
(2023) Clifton‐Brown, John; Hastings, Astley; von Cossel, Moritz; Murphy‐Bokern, Donal; McCalmont, Jon; Whitaker, Jeanette; Alexopoulou, Efi; Amaducci, Stefano; Andronic, Larisa; Ashman, Christopher; Awty‐Carroll, Danny; Bhatia, Rakesh; Breuer, Lutz; Cosentino, Salvatore; Cracroft‐Eley, William; Donnison, Iain; Elbersen, Berien; Ferrarini, Andrea; Ford, Judith; Greef, Jörg; Ingram, Julie; Lewandowski, Iris; Magenau, Elena; Mos, Michal; Petrick, Martin; Pogrzeba, Marta; Robson, Paul; Rowe, Rebecca L.; Sandu, Anatolii; Schwarz, Kai‐Uwe; Scordia, Danilo; Scurlock, Jonathan; Shepherd, Anita; Thornton, Judith; Trindade, Luisa M.; Vetter, Sylvia; Wagner, Moritz; Wu, Pei‐Chen; Yamada, Toshihiko; Kiesel, Andreas
Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023–27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes. Despite significant research and development (R&D) investment over decades in herbaceous and coppiced woody PBCs, deployment has largely stagnated due to social, economic and policy uncertainties. This paper identifies the challenges in creating policies that are acceptable to all actors. Development will need to be informed by measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other environmental, economic and social metrics. It discusses interlinked issues that must be considered in the expansion of PBC production: (i) available land; (ii) yield potential; (iii) integration into farming systems; (iv) R&D requirements; (v) utilisation options; and (vi) market systems and the socio‐economic environment. It makes policy recommendations that would enable greater PBC deployment: (1) incentivise farmers and land managers through specific policy measures, including carbon pricing, to allocate their less productive and less profitable land for uses which deliver demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions; (2) enable greenhouse gas mitigation markets to develop and offer secure contracts for commercial developers of verifiable low‐carbon bioenergy and bioproducts; (3) support innovation in biomass utilisation value chains; and (4) continue long‐term, strategic R&D and education for positive environmental, economic and social sustainability impacts.
Social-ecologically more sustainable agricultural production
(2023) von Cossel, Moritz; Castro-Montoya, Joaquín; Iqbal, Yasir
Wood-ash fertiliser and distance from drainage ditch affect the succession and biodiversity of vascular plant species in tree plantings on marginal organic soil
(2022) Zuševica, Austra; Celma, Santa; Neimane, Santa; von Cossel, Moritz; Lazdina, Dagnija
Cutaway peatland is a marginal land, which without further management is an unfavourable environment for plant growth due to low bearing capacity, high acidity and unbalanced nutrient composition of the soil. After wood-ash application, the soil becomes enriched with P and K, creating better conditions for tree growth. In addition to being economically viable, tree plantations ensure long-term carbon storage and promote habitat restoration. In a three-year term, we studied how distance from a drainage ditch and three different doses of wood-ash—5, 10, and 15 tons per hectare—affect the diversity of vascular plants in a tree plantation on a cutaway peatland. Plant species richness, vegetation cover and composition were positively affected by the distance from the drainage ditch and application with fertiliser, but in most cases, fertiliser dose had no significant effect. Both cover and species diversity were not affected by the planted tree species. In a tree plantation, herbaceous plants provide soil fertility by decay and recycling, and reduce mineral leaching in the long term. Since vascular plants play an important role in both the development of habitats and tree growth, it is important to know how multiple factors influence the development of vegetation in tree plantations.
Yield performance of woody crops on marginal agricultural land in Latvia, Spain and Ukraine
(2022) Celma, Santa; Sanz, Marina; Ciria, Pilar; Maliarenko, Oksana; Prysiazhniuk, Oleh; Daugaviete, Mudrite; Lazdina, Dagnija; von Cossel, Moritz
Agricultural land abandonment due to biophysical and socioeconomic constraints is increasing across Europe. Meanwhile there is also an increase in bioenergy demand. This study assessed woody crop performance on several relevant types of marginal agricultural land in Europe, based on field experiments in Latvia, Spain and Ukraine. In Latvia, hybrid aspen was more productive than birch and alder species, and after eight years produced 4.8 Mg ha−1 y−1 on stony soil with sandy loam texture, when best clone and treatment combination was selected. In Spain, Siberian elm produced up to 7.1 Mg ha−1 y−1 on stony, sandy soil with low organic carbon content after three triennial rotations. In Ukraine, willow plantations produced a maximum of 10.8 Mg ha−1 y−1 on a soil with low soil organic carbon after second triennial rotation. The productivity was higher when management practices were optimized specifically to address the limiting factors of a site. Longer rotations and lower biomass yields compared to high-value land can be expected when woody crops are grown on similar marginal agricultural land shown in this study. Future studies should start here and investigate to what extent woody crops can contribute to rural development under these conditions.