D4.4 – Identification of low-input practices for the cultivation of the selected industrial crops on marginal land facing natural constraints

The objective of this task was to present a large group of data on the suitability of selected industrial crops to marginal soils, helping to clarify the constraints associated with their cultivation under low-input practices. The experimental field trials included the following annual oil [industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), crambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst.), camelina (Camelina sativa L.), Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun), castor (Ricinus communis L.)] and carbohydrate crops [biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)]; perennial, lignocellulosic, herbaceous, such as giant reed (Arundo donax L.), miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.), African fodder cane (Saccharum spontaneum L. spp. aegyptiacum Willd. Hackel), tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and woody crops [Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila L.) and willow (Salix spp.)]. Low-input agricultural practices were applied to the above industrial crops with the main aim to ascertain their performances in sites affected by biophysical limitations across Europe. European countries were grouped, according to the European climatic stratification proposed by Metzger et al. (2005), in three main agro-ecological zone: Mediterranean, Atlantic and Continental. Biophysical limitations are essentially those reported in the JRC study (Rossiter et al., 2014), which alone or in combination leads to negative synergies to crop yield. MAGIC, through this task, will provide hints on how the cultivation of these crops in marginal soils can mitigate indirect land-use change (iLUC) risks, in accordance with the sustainability criteria set in the Directive (EU) 2018/2001 and to meet the European Green Deal towards an EU climate neutral in 2050