ASSESSING THE PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF PURPOSE-GROWN ENERGY CROPS IN SLOVAK REGIONS

References: 17th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2017, www.sgem.org, SGEM2017 Conference Proceedings, ISBN 978-619-7408-07-2 / ISSN 1314-2704, 29 June - 5 July, 2017, Vol. 17, Issue 42, 75-82 pp, DOI: 10.5593/sgem2017/42/S17.010

ABSTRACT

One of the main objectives of EU energy policy is to increase the share energy from renewable sources to 20% by 2020, in view of increasing this share in the coming years. Sustainable and perspective source in diversification of share and its increasing are targeted grown energy crops. In Slovak regions, the share of the renewable sources in the gross final energy consumption is only 11.6%. Potential for growing energy crops is in all Slovak regions. In terms of soil factor is the possibility of growing on an area of 1,058,625 ha. In Slovak regions, the area of land registered growth of fast-growing plants grown on agricultural land is only 351.70 ha. Significant and limited factors are climatic parameters. On the model area of Nitra region was set high production potential of selected types of energy crops on the basis of seven years of research. Productivity of growth of the above-ground organs and biomass production of two model plants - energy tree Populus and energy herb Miscanthus were monitored in each vegetation period. Growth of genus Populus reach after second three-year cycle average yield of 135.14 t.ha-1 and growth of energy herb Miscanthus 27.95 t.ha-1.year-1. Differences in biomass production of model energy crops are statistically highly significant in each monitored vegetation period in Nitra region. Both model plants produce balanced production of dry matter every year and exceeded the threshold of crops economically. Keywords: energy crops, Miscanthus, Populus, yield, Slovak regions.

Keywords: energy crops, Miscanthus, Populus, yield, Slovak regions