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The short-rotation plantations represent an interesting opportunity for the farms
searching for an alternative to the traditional cereal crops, as well as an excellent
possibility of making productive the soils left at rest, at a default and time
guaranteed price. It is about a cultivation of specifically selected poplar or willow
clones for very thick implantations destined to the production of woodchips used as
fuel or for the production of chipboards. The plantations have a density which ranges
between 1100 and 6600 plants/ha, with five-year or two-year gathering turnovers
respectively. The implantation works, just like all the other operations, are completely
mechanized.
>>> click on the keys below for details
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Two-year rotations plantations
The plantations with a two-year turnover have a variable density between 6600 and 5500 plants/ha. The soil destined for the implantation must
comply with some characteristics, such as the slope (it is allowed a maximum 15% slope) and the easy access for the means used for the gathering,
for loading and transporting the biomass.
For the two-year plantations, it is best to avoid the cultivation in the soils previously treated in a long-term set-aside regime with a strong
presence of weeds. In this case, it is preferred the use of long-term plantations. When using two-year cycles, it must be left free a spare
distance from the bordering land within 3 metres, like for a poplar trees nursery. Wooden cuttings of about 22 cm long are bedded and, after 2
growing seasons, with the right crop cares, give life to plants ready to be harvested. After the harvesting operations the shooting capacity of
the coppices is exploited, and the crop enters the full production regime.
The minimum area under which it is not advisable to realize a plantation with two-year rotation is 2 hectares. The length of the production cycle
is altogether 10 years (5 yields).
Through the cultivation of specifically selected poplar clones, and applying the recommended culture techniques, the yields are very high and,
according to the soil quality and to the water availability, can vary between 30 and 45 fresh tons per hectare per year.
  
> Download PDF format of Poplar Specifications Biennal 2006
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Pluriannual rotations plantations (4 or 5 years)
Pluriannual plantations (4 or 5 years) have a density of about 1600 plants/ha. In spite of the fact that the culture treatments and the gathering
operations do not require a frequent access to the plantation, the accessibility must be guaranteed in any case.
A cultivation on soils previously treated in a long-term set-aside regime is possible.
The minimum surface under which it is not advisable the realization of a plantation with pluriannual rotations is 1 hectare.
The length of time advised for the entire production cycle is 8-12 years (2 – 3 harvests).
The plantations are realized starting from 2 m poles which get planted mechanically to a depth of 80-90 cm.
Even in this case the annual average productivity is about 45 tonnes of fresh substance per hectare.
> Download PDF format of Pluriannual
The product obtained by this type of plantation has a tendentially superior quality compared to the woodchip obtained from
the two-year plantations for the minimum percentage bark content. Amongst the usages it is also provided the production of excellent
quality pellets through the preventive delimbing and barking which can be practised with the yard illustrated in the video below.
Watch The Video
  
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Biomass poplar clones for energy purposes
AF2
| Selector: |
ALASIA Franco |
| Species: |
Populus x canadensis |
| Origine: |
artificial pollination |
| Parents: |
Mother: P. deltoides 145-86 (Illinois - USA)
Father: P. nigra 40 (Piemonte - Italia) |
| Constitution year |
1994 |
| Gender: |
male |
Adversity tolerance:
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very scarce
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scarce
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sufficient
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high
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very high
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Venturia sp
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Melampsora sp.
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Marssonina sp.
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Dothichiza populea
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Black spots
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Poplar mosaic virus
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Phleomyzus passerinii
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wind
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| Appearance: |
straight and cylindrical trunk, contained branchiness, marked apical dominance |
| Start of vegetation: |
around the 5th April |
| Total Defoliation: |
around the 2nd December |
| Vegetative Period: |
about 242 days |
| Adaptability: |
Fertile soils, sandy or clayey, with a good hydric availability |
| Turnover: |
two-year or four-/five year |
| Pruning |
not necessary |
| Gravity:: |
0,28 g/cm3 |
| Destination: |
biomass for energy, chipboards, paper industry, pellets |
MONVISO
| Selector: |
ALASIA Franco, |
| Species: |
Populus x generosa X Populus nigra |
| Origin: |
artificial pollination |
| Parents: |
Mother: P. x generosa 103-86 [P. deltoides 583 (Iowa - USA) x P. trichocarpa 196 (Oregon -U.S.A.)]
Father: P. nigra 715-86 [P. nigra 12 (Piemonte -Italia-) x P. nigra 7 (Umbria – Italia)]
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| Constitution year: |
1991 |
| Gender: |
female |
Adversity tolerance:
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very scarce
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scarce
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sufficient
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high
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very high
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Venturia sp
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Melampsora sp.
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Marssonina sp.
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Dothichiza populea
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Black spots
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Poplar mosaic virus
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Phleomyzus passerinii
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Wind
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| Appearance: |
slightly winding trunk, very branchy, good apical dominance |
| Start of vegetation: |
around the 11th April |
| Total Defoliation: |
around the 25th November |
| Vegetative Period: |
about 229 days |
| Adaptability: |
It adapts itself to soils with a scarce fertility and limited hydric availability |
| Turnover: |
two-year or five-year |
| Pruning: |
not necessary |
| Gravity: |
0,31 g/cm3 |
| Destination: |
biomass for energy, chipboards, paper industry, pellets |
AF6
| Selector: |
ALASIA Franco, |
| Species: |
(Populus x generosa) X Populus nigra |
| Origin: |
Artificial pollination |
| Parents: |
Mother: P. x generosa 103-86 [P. deltoides 583 (Iowa - USA) x P. trichocarpa 196 (Oregon -U.S.A.)]
Father: P. nigra 12 (Piemonte -Italia-)
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| Constitution year: |
1992 |
| Gender: |
female |
Adversity tolerance:
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very scarce
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scarce
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sufficient
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high
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very high
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Venturia sp
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Melampsora sp.
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Marssonina sp.
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Dothichiza populea
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|
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Black spots
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Poplar mosaic virus
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Phleomyzus passerinii
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Wind
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| Appearance: |
rather straight and cylindrical trunk, gathered foliage |
| Start of Vegetation: |
around the 14th April |
| Total Defoliation: |
around the 26th November |
| Vegetative Period: |
about 227 days |
| Adaptability: |
Even insufficiently fertile soils, in tendentially continental climates |
| Turnover: |
two-year or five-year |
| Pruning: |
not necessary |
| Gravity: |
g/cm3 0,32 |
| Destination: |
biomass for energy, chipboards, paper industry, pellets |
AF8
| Selector: |
ALASIA Franco, |
| Species: |
Populus x generosa |
| Origin: |
Artificial pollination |
| Parents: |
Mother: P. x generosa 103-86 [P. deltoides 583 (Iowa - USA) x P. trichocarpa 196 (Oregon -U.S.A.)]
Father: P.trichocarpa PEE (Washington - USA)
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| Constitution year: |
1993 |
| Gender: |
Female |
Adversity tolerance:
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very scarce
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scarce
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sufficient
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high
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very high
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Venturia sp
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Melampsora sp.
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Marssonina sp.
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Dothichiza populea
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|
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Black spots
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|
|
Poplar mosaic virus
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|
|
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Phleomyzus passerinii
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Wind
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| Appearance: |
straight trunk, semi-expanded foliage |
| Start of vegetation: |
around the 13th April |
| Total Defoliation: |
around the 30th November |
| Vegetative Period: |
about 242 days |
| Adaptability: |
It adapts itself well to light soils, to be preferred in areas with not accentuated temperature range |
| Turnover: |
Two-year or four-/five year |
| Pruning: |
not necessary |
| Gravity: |
0,28 g/cm3 |
| Destination: |
biomass for energy, chipboards, paper industry, pellets |
SIRIO
| Selector: |
ALASIA Franco, |
| Species: |
Populus deltoides x P opulus x canadensis |
| Origin: |
Artificial pollination |
| Parents |
Mother: P. deltoides 266 (Tennessee – USA)
Father: P.nigra 666 (Toscana – Italia) x Populus deltoides 1095 (Illinois - USA)
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| Constitution year: |
1991 |
| Gender: |
male |
Adversity tolerance:
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Very scarce
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scarce
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sufficient
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high
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very high
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Venturia sp
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Melampsora sp.
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Marssonina sp.
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Dothichiza populea
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|
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|
|
|
Black spots
|
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|
|
|
|
|
Poplar mosaic Virus
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|
|
|
|
|
Phleomyzus passerinii
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|
|
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Wind
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| Appearance: |
winding trunk, quite branchy, good apical dominance |
| Start of vegetation: |
around the 28th March |
| Total Defoliation: |
around the 27th November |
| around the 27th November: |
about 245 |
| Adaptability: |
Fertile soils, even clayey, with a good hydric availability; sensible to the wind because of its structure |
| Turnover: |
two-year |
| Pruning: |
not necessary |
| Gravity: |
0,30 g/cm3 |
| Destination: |
biomass for energy |
> Download Clones Cards of biomass poplar for energy purposes in PDF format
Mechanization
With the scope of reducing the costs of cultivation and to increase the production yields, there have been set out specific machines
for all the stages of the culture cycle, from the bedding of cuttings and poles, to the weaning of the young plantations, up to the
harvesting operations.
Watch the video featuring the transplanting machine
Watch the video of the mechanized harvesting with the BE1 point,
patented and made by Biomasse Europa, one of the CNER companies
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Modular cultivator for the weaning of the young plantations.
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Transplanter for poles, patented and made by Rinnova, one of the CNER companies.
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Transformation
The biomass poplar lends itself to many usages, both for the transformation into energy (thermal and electric) and for the industrial transformation (cellulose pulp, panels, packaging).
Within the transformation ambit into energy there are many technologies we are turning to:
classic combustion, co-combustion, gasification, fermentation of the cellulose for obtaining bioethanol
  
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