EUBCE 2026 - Sofia FERDINI - Biomass Yields From Marginal Lands - a Database for Crop Modellers

Biomass Yields From Marginal Lands - a Database for Crop Modellers

Short Introductive summary

Climate change is rapidly progressing, and meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target relies in part on biomass for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage and for supplying low-carbon energy and materials. To avoid competition with food production and prevent the conversion of land that provides important ecosystem services, biomass cropping systems need to be established on marginal agricultural lands. However, existing crop models often draw on data from regular, arable land for their calibration, meaning that the effects of geophysical constraints on biomass yields may be underestimated in biomass availability studies. This research addresses this issue by consolidating field trial data from marginal lands into a single, global database for five perennial biomass crops. By accurately representing marginality and its influence on yield, the database will support more reliable projections of biomass availability for developing the bioeconomy and reaching climate targets.

S. Ferdini, Université Paris Saclay, Palaiseau, FRANCE
I. Lewandowski, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, GERMANY
B. Gabrielle, Université Paris Saclay, Palaiseau, FRANCE
M. von Cossel, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, GERMANY