21 July 2013, Catania - Italy

Summer school «From Production to final Use»

Climatic conditions, soil properties and physiology of fiber crops

Salvatore Luciano Cosentino

Department of Agronomic Science

University of Catania, Italy

A brief history

Natural (animal and vegetal) fibre utilisation has begun in prehistoric eras and evidence of this utilisation can be found in cave paint reported in Europe (35.000-10.000 b.C. on Palaeolithic era). In Lascaux mineralised rope has been find in a cave, but it was not possible to define the origin of the raw material.

The most oldest handmade is a hemp textile (8000 b.C.)

Sisal was one of the first fibre plants specifically cultivated for fibre. Archaeological evidence suggest that sisal was used for cordage and matting as early as 10.000-7000 BC (Stewart et al., 1997).

Flax is one of the oldest vegetal fibres. In Egypt it has been used since 5,000 b.C.. Egyptians Phoenicians, Babylonians and also other near east populations diffused its use to Greeks and Romans.

In Egypt, the mummification

process, flax mats, flax balls and

flax or coir waste were employed to

fill all cavities.

Cotton fibres have been used since 2,000 b.C. in India and Peru. In Europe it was diffused since 1300 b.C.

Egyptian produced light and flexible writing support: papyri’s paper (3100-332 b.C.). Paper as cellulose-fibre mix has been produced for the first time by Chinese (105 b.C.).

Vegetal Fibres

Vegetal fibers are comprised within the complex of mechanical tissues and are located in xylem, phloem and in the periciclic and cortical regions of the axis.

Generical name of every fibrous products able to be transformed in nonwoven and textiles being characterised of appropriate traits of length, finess, strength and flexibility.

Until few decades ago only natural products were considered within this denomination.

Botanical

Industrial

On the basis of the composition of the cell wall, the fibres are classified in:

sclerenchymatous fibers, mainly with lignin, are often on the xylem

non sclerenchymatous fibers, mainly with cellulose are subdivided according to the position in:

cortical fibers

phloem fibers

pericicle fibers

• fibre in seeds

• fibre in phloem

• aggregate of phloem fibres

• fibre of vascular bundies

• entire stems and leaves

According to origin the fibre of Dicotyledon are subdivided:

Fibres develop quickly in axial direction:

• 35-40 mm to 100 mm in hemp

• 25-30 mm in flax

The cells have not cross-sectional septa

These are soft and flexible fibres extending through the inner bark of stems or main stalks of dicotyledonous plants including jute, ramie, kenaf, roselle, sunn hemp, industrial hemp, and flex.

hard of leaf fibres:

These are characteristically hard and stiff in texture and extend lengthwise through the pulpy tissues or long leaf or leaf stems of monocotyledonous plants including sisal, henequen, pineapple, and abaca.

miscellaneous fibres: These include minor fibres obtained from roots, stems, and

seeds, like coir.

Non-wood fibres are non-woody cellulosic plant materials. They are conventionally classified as follows (Nelson, 1958):

Short or one-celled fibres These include the seed hairs of hairs produced inside the seedpods, like cotton and kapok

Long or multi-celled fibres soft or bast fibres:

Bast from kenaf

Core from kenaf

World fiber production t x 1.000 (FAO, 2010)

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

WorldAfrica

N.C. America

S. America

AsiaEuropa

Oceania

'89-'91

'00

'10

Cotton Production (FAO, 2000) (t x 1000)

0

1.000

2.000

3.000

4.000

5.000

World

Africa

N.C. A

merica

S. Americ

aAsia

Europa

Oceania

import

export

Cotton Import-Export (FAO, 2000) (t x 1000)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

WorldAfrica

N.C. America

S.AmericaAsia

Europe

flax

jute

sisal

Fibers crops Production (FAO, 2010) (t x 1000)

0

100

200

300

400

WorldAfrica

N.C. America

S. America

AsiaEurope

Oceania

import

export

Jute Import-Export (FAO,2000) (t x 1000)

0

100

200

300

400

WorldAfrica

N.C. America

S. AmericaAsia

EuropeOceania

import

exportFlax

Import-Export (FAO,2000) (M.T. x 1000)

0

20

40

60

80

World

Africa

N.C. A

mer

ica

S. Am

erica Asia

Europe

Oce

ania

import

export

Sisal and other Agaves Import-Export

(FAO,2000) (t x 1000)

Building material

Polymer compounds

Geotextiles

Pulp and paper

Cellulose

Absorbent materials

Others

Most interesting application of the fibres

POLYMER COMPOUNDS

Materials composed by a matrix with fibres bundles as reinforcements. Matrix may be plastic, metallic, polymeric or ceramic.

Thermoplastic composites

Thermoset composites

Rubber composites

Construction composites

Mats of coir and straw

GEOTEXTILES

The use of fabrics in association with the earth. Long bast or leaf fiber formed in flexible fiber mats

GEOTEXTILES

Weed control and Gardening

Fertilizers, Insecticides and Herbicides added to the fiber mats to ensure their availability for seed and seed protection

Ground protection during construction:

Low and medium density fiber mats can be used for soil stabilization around new or existing construction sites

Road construction

Medium high density fiber mats below ground in road and other type of construction as natural separator between different materials in the layering of the back fill

Geotextiles for erosion control

Moisture retention and seed incorporation promote slope stabilization

• Newsprint

• Printing and writing paper

• Sack paper

• Folding boxboard

• Recycled paper

• Liner and topliner

• Tissue and fluff pulp

• Fluting and middle of board

PULP AND PAPER

MB. Sticklen, 2008

Cellulose Microcristalline

Cellulose:

is a purified and partially

depolymerized α–cellulose

mainly used as filling,

binding and blasting

material for tableting

(direct tableting), as well

as for dry and wet

granulation and as filling

material for hard gelatine

capsules.

Viscose textile:

Viscose is a cellulosic fibre

obtained by a process

using cellulosic pulp to

make a spinnable liquid

called viscose

O-Acetil-4-O-metil- D-glucuron-xylan in Softwood (Jeffries, 1994)

Arabino-4-O-metil-glucuron-xylani in Hardwood (Jeffries, 1994)

Gluco-mannan in Softwood (Jeffries, 1994)

O-Acetil-galatto-gluco-mannan in Hardwood (Jeffries, 1994)

Emicellulose

Lignin

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Cellulose Hemicellulose Lignin

% w

/w

Lignocellulose Fiber

Cell wall composition lignocellulosic vs fiber crops

• Diapers

• Sanitary towels

• Industrial wipes

• Napkins

ABSORBENT MATERIALS

• Friction lining

• Gaskets

• Nonwovens

• Filters

• Drain-pipes

Hemp coffee filter

OTHERS

• Reinforcement of concrete

• Particle board

• Fibre board

• Gypsum wallboard

BUILDING MATERIAL

Vinyl floor carpet

Acoustical damping materials

Insulation material for bulk insulation (Hemp)

Bamboo constructions

Bamboo furnitures and wall covering

Light Natural Sandwich (LNS)

LNS consist of wood based top layers and a

core of evenly oriented hollow plant stems

embedded in a matrix of natural foam

Optimisation of Production Chain for

High Performance ‘Light Natural

Sandwich Materials’ LNS as a Basis

for Scaling-up

FAIR CT 98-3784

Bioma distribution in the world

until 80

80-120

120-180 180-200 > 200

Global solar radiation (kcal/cm2/year)

> 30°

20-30°

10-20°

0-10°

0 - -10° -10 ─ -20° -20 ─ -30° < -30°

Average temperature at the sea level (°C year-1)

50-100 100-300 300-500 500-1000 1000-2000 2000-5000 >5000

Precipitation (mm year-1)

Precipitation per

year between

275 - 900 mm

Temperature <0°C

do not exceed 262

hours year-1 (< 3%

total year-1)

The 65% of the

total precipitation

between Nov-Apr

Mediterranean environment in the world (Aschmann, 1973)

European climatic zones (Metzger et al., 2005)

Enivormental

zone

Temperature Rainfall Months

Active

Temperatures

Length growing

season

Min Max Oct-Apr May-Sept < 0 °C > 10 °C Days

Nemoral 2.4 9.3 309.8 310.8 4.6 2717 196

Continental 4.2 13.1 380.9 393.4 4.1 3294 227

Atlantic North 4.5 11.2 760.7 437.9 1.9 3198 255

Atlantic Central 6.2 13.6 563.5 349.4 0.2 3849 296

Lusitanian 8.4 17.4 851.5 321.7 0.0 4749 353 Mediterranean

North 8.2 18.1 477.8 218.1 0.4 5104 335 Mediterranean

South 11.2 21.1 470.1 114.4 0.0 6021 363

Fibre crops

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Family: Malvaceae Genus Gossypium

Habitus: annual arbust

Habitat: cultivation in warm arid climates, also from 37° N lat to 32° S lat and in Ucraina (47° N lat) and in Africa and Australia 30° S lat. Seed germinate when soil temperature reaches 14°C at a depth of 10 cm at least 3 days. Relatively salt resistant.

Yield: 1- 4 t/ha with a 35% fibre and a 65% seeds.

Fibre: The long fibres are processed by spinning to produce yarn, knitted or woven into fabrics. The first linters with a longer fibre length (lint) are used in production of mattrenes, furniture upholshery and maps. The second cut linters (fuzz) with a shorter fibre length and major source of cellulose for chemical and food uses.

Cotton (Gossipium spp.), family Malvaceae

Origin Tropical and Subtropical regions

Diffusion Warm arid climates

Genetic base Many varieties and hybrids

Soil requirement Good water holding capacity and aeration

and good drainage

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 20 - 35 °C

Water requirement 600-800 mm

Climatic constrains Waterlogging

Rotation time Annual

Establishment Sexual

Required machinery Special farm equipment

Nutrients demand (kg ha-1) 20 N, 20 P, 80 K

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 1.0 – 4.0 t DM ha-1

Product used Fiber

COTTON Optimum Climate Needs * Derived from listed sources Growth Stage Average Daily Daily Crop Temperature Celsius Water Use (mm) Planting (Soil) 18° minimum >0 Planting (Air) >21° Vegetative Growth 21°-27° 1-2 1st Square 2-4 Reproductive Growth 27°-32° 3-8 Peak Bloom 8 1st Open Boll 8-4 Maturation 21°-32° 4

Corchorus capsularis L. (jute)

Family:Tiliaceae

World production: India, Pakistan. The area used for jute cultivation in India was 942 thousand hectares during 1994-1995, producing 1,542,000 t of fibre and around 3,8 million tons of jute stick as by- product.

Fiber characteristics: elementary fiber mm 2-12, i.d. 10-32mm.

Habitat: warm conditions; water requirement 70-100 mm month-1 during growing season

Jute (Corchorus spp.), family Tiliaceae

Origin India

Diffusion Tropics and subtropics

Genetic base Some genotypes available

Soil requirement Alluvial soil and standing water

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 20-40 °C

Water requirement average monthly rainfall 75 to 100 mm

Photoperiod Short day

Climatic constrains Drought, low temperatures

Rotation time Annual

Establishment Sexual

Required machinery Normal farm equipments

Nutrients demand 70,40,0 NPK

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 1.5 – 2.0 t DM ha-1

Product used Bast fiber

Agave sisalana Perr.

(sisal) Family Amarillidacee

sottogen. Eugave

Perennial plant, in the 6-9 years it “

poles” (flowers) and dies. The leaves inflorescence carries numerous bulbils after the flowers wither.

Origin: Yucatan (MEXICO).

Distribution: tropical and subtropical areas of Africa and Asia.

Environment:optimum temperature 22-25 °C; annual water requirements 600 mm; high light requirements; low day/night temperature excursion.

Fiber characteristics: higher fiber strength compared to canapa; strongest fibers inner part of the leaves; elementary fiber 0.8-7.5 mm, i.d. 7-47mm.

Ceiba pentandra G. (kapoc) Family: Bombonacee

Habitus: medium to large, deciduous tree with

Origin: India and Africa. Until recently, it was widely cultivated in the tropics.

Habitat: annual water requirements 1525 - 5700 mm; optimum

temperature 23.3 e 27.7 °C; dry season 0-6 months; altitude

around 460 m a.s.l. World Production: 30,000 t Products: mattress and pillow. Surgery utilization. Fiber Characteristics: low specific weight and low thermal

conductivity. Hollow Fiber length 8-30 mm, i.d. 30-36mm

Kapoc (Ceiba pentandra, (L.) Gaertn.), family Bombacacee

Origin western tropical part of Africa and the

tropical part of America

Diffusion Tropics

Genetic base Local

Soil requirement Warm

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 20 - 30 °C

Altitude 500 up to 1200

Water requirement 1500 to 3000 mm

Climatic constrains Low temperature, drought

Rotation time Perennial (60 years)

Establishment seeds

Required machinery Normal farm equipment

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 0.5 1.0 t DM ha-1

Product used Fiber

Bamboo spp.

Family: Poaceae

Subfamily: bambusoideae

Originating in warm tropical and subtropical regions, where it is sometimes an extremely important component of the vegetation.

It is most abundant in the monsoon area of East Asia.

Requires high amount of water.

Generally cannot tolerate temperature below 15°C

Boehmeria nivea G. (ramiè)

Family: Urticaceae Genus: Boehmeria Species: nivea

'China grass‘, 'white ramie' Chinese cultivated plant; var tenacissima, 'green ramie' or 'rhea' with smaller leaves, better suited to tropical conditions

Habitus: woody herb hardy perennial (6 to 20 years) Habitat: tropical and subtropical regions. Suitable to in southern Europe conditions states; lowest temperature +10°C. Water requirements at least 300 mm.

Production: dry weight of harvested stem from both tropical and temperate crops from about 3.4 to 4.5 t ha-1 year-1 (up to six times a year). Crude Fiber yields up to 2 t ha-1.

Fiber characteristics: longest, toughest and most silky of all known vegetable fibres (eight times than of cotton and seven times greater than silk).

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich.), family Urticaceae

Origin Asian tropical and subtropical regions

Diffusion Tropic , Subtropic and Continental

Genetic base Many varieties available

Soil requirement Sandy-loam or loamy

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 16 - 31°C

Altitude From sea level up to 300 m asl

Water requirement 500-3000 mm year

Photoperiod Shorth day

Climatic constrains Wind and frost

Rotation time Perennial

Establishment Vegetative

Required machinery Normal farm equipments

Nutrients demand 60-30-60 NPK

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 3.0 – 4.5 t DM ha-1

Product used Bast fiber

Spartium junceum L.

Family: Papilionacee Tribù: Cytiseae

Genus: Spartium Species: junceum

Habitus: shrub, perennial Branches length 25 - 75 cm.

Habitat: phytoclimatic zone, xerophillic, thermophyllic, saline resistant

Yield: 2.5 – 5.0 t ha-1 as natural crop; 4.0 – 7.5 t ha-1 as cultivated crop;fiber yield 7- 12% d.m.

Products: from the branches of the year mats for cordages and fabric; good also for cellulose.

Fiber characteristics: water and light resistant, easy colourable. Low specific weight; less mechanical resistant than hemp (-5%) and more than than flax (+36%).

Linum usitatissimum L.

(flax)

Habitus:herbaceous annual crop

Habitat: optimum temperature 8-22°C. Cultivated in Central Europe. Also present in the past in South Europe as winter crop

Yield: 0.69 – 1.69 t ha-1 Fiber Characteristics: hollow fibers, able to absorb up to 12% of its own weight in water. The fibre are twice as strong as those of cotton and five times as strong as those of wool. Products: The longer fibres are used for spinning into yarn and weaving, knitting and geo-textiles.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), family Linaceae

Origin unknown

Diffusion Temperate environments

Genetic base Many cultivar available

Soil requirement Well-drained and sandy loam

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 8-22 °C (min and max threshold)

Altitude From sea level up to 1200 m asl

Water requirement 600-1000 mm

Photoperiod Long day

Climatic constrains Water stress, high temperatures

Rotation time Annual

Establishment Sexual

Required machinery Normal farm equipments

Nutrients demand 20-90 N

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 0.55 – 2.0 seeds, 4.0 - 10 straw t DM ha-1

Product used Fiber and seeds

Cannabis sativa (hemp) Family: Cannabaceae

Habitus: annual herb growing up to 4 m tall. Origin: native to the Caucasus region of far eastern Europe, northern India and Iran but it is now cultivated in warm - to- temperate regions all over the world

Habitat: germinate at 10°C. In Southern Italy 1500-3000 m3 ha-1 represent the standard water requirements. Yield: 12-15 t ha-1.

Fiber characteristics: technologic Fiber cm 100-150 I.d. 0.5-5mm;

elementary fiber 2-12 mm, I.d. 10-32mm. 4-20 % lignin

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), family Cannabaceae

Origin Central Asia

Diffusion From Equator to the Polar circle

Genetic base Many cultivar available

Soil requirement Good soil structure

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 10 –35 °C (min and max threshold)

Altitude From sea level up to 400 m asl

Water requirement 250 early cv., 450 mm later cv.

Photoperiod Short day

Climatic constrains Prolonged drought, low temperature,

waterlogging, soil compaction

Rotation time Annual

Establishment Sexual

Required machinery Normal farm equipments

Nutrients demand 90 – 120 NP

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 0.5 – 1.0 seeds, 12 – 22 straw t DM ha-1

Product used Fiber and seeds

Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) Family: Gramineae

Habitus: perennial sod-forming grass,

growing up to 2.5 m tall.

Habitat: It is noted for its heavy growth in late spring and early summer. It is also a valuable soil stabilization plant, and is used as a windbreak in crop fields.

Origin: North America and wet areas of America. In the East of America switch grass is found more often on dry soils, along sandy roadsides and along the upland edge of salt marshes, where it grows in bunches.

Hibiscus cannabinus (kenaf ) Family: Malvaceae

Habitus:woody to herbaceous annual fiber plant

Origin: native to east-central Africa or India. Wild plant of tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia. Habitat: 30° N - 30° S lat. Wide range of

adaptation to climates and soils. Sensitive to cool temperatures.

Optimum growth temperatures 15-27°C. Sensitive to photoperiod.

Although relatively drought tolerant (500-600 mm), production limited

by water shortage and waterlogging.

Production: stem's outer bark with the long soft bast fibers useful for cordage and textiles. Bast fibers up 20 to 25% of the stem on a dry weight basis. Stalk yields from 8 to 12 t ha-1.

Fiber Characteristics: fibre strands, about 0,9 m long are pale in colour and lustrous, with strength comparable to that of jute.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), family: Malvaceae

Origin Western Africa

Diffusion Tropics, Subtropics and Warm Temperate

Genetic base Many cultivar available

Soil requirement Middleweight to sandy moist soil

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 15 – 30 °C (min and max threshold)

Altitude From sea level up to 1000m asl

Water requirement > 500 mm well distributed

Photoperiod Short day

Climatic constrains Prolonged drought, low temperature,

waterlogging

Rotation time Annual

Establishment Sexual

Required machinery Normal farm equipments

Nutrients demand 150, 100, 120 NPK

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 9 - 22 t DM ha-1

Product used Bast fiber

Miscanthus x giganteus Family: Poaceae

Habitat: wide ranging distribution, from south-eastern Asia, through China, Japan and into Polynesia, with a few species occurring in Africa. Today, can be naturalised throughout much of Europe, where it has been introduced for its ornamental value. Warm temperatures and heavy and well distributed rainfalls. Threshold for leaf expansion growth at between 5-10°C. Yield: dependent on water availability. Yields in northern Europe range from 15 to 25 t ha-1y-1 at the end of the growing season. Higher productivity has been recorded in central and south Europe 25-40 t ha-1 y-1 but here irrigation is required.

Total extractables 3.06, Total pentoses 26.60, Total hexoses 39.37,

Total lignin 25.19

Miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.), family Poaceae

Origin East-Asia

Diffusion From Tropics to cold temperate

Genetic base Many genotypes available

Soil requirement Wide range

Photosynthetic pathway C4

Temperature requirement 5 – 35 °C (min and max threshold)

Altitude From sea level up to 3000 m

Water requirement > 1000 mm year

Photoperiod Dependent on location of origin

Climatic constrains Soil compaction, flooding, drought

Rotation time 20-25 years

Establishment Vegetative

Required machinery Special farm equipments

Nutrients demand 70, 100 and 100 NPK

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 15-40 t DM ha-1

Product used Whole biomass

Arundo donax L. (giant reed)

Family: Poaceae

Habitat: quite common in the Mediterranean where it occurs wild in marshy areas or by rivers. It is suitable to warm and temperate climate in plan like as in slope, up to 800 meter of altitude. Giant reed can tolerate severe drought conditions.

Yield: up to 25-34 t ha-1 of dry matter. The plant is composed mainly to cellulose fibres in cortical parenchima and in the xylems of internodes.

Fibre Characteristics: length in the rhizome 500-2600 microns, in the leaves 400-5400 in the stem 600-3300.

Products: In Italy, this crop was used to extract cellulose for pulp since 1930 already, when Snia-Viscosa established a trademark for the production process of cellulose pasta for the production of rayon viscose and paper (Facchini, 1941).

Giant reed (Arundo donax L.), family: Poaceae

Origin Asia and Mediterranean

Diffusion Tropics, Subtropics and Warm Temperate

Genetic base Local clones

Soil requirement Wide range

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 10 – 40 °C (min and max threshold)

Altitude From sea level up to 800 m

Water requirement > 500 mm year

Photoperiod Shorth day

Climatic constrains Prolonged drought, severe frost

Rotation time 20-25 years

Establishment Vegetative

Required machinery Special farm equipments

Nutrients demand 70, 100 and 100 NPK

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 15-40 t DM ha-1

Product used Whole biomass

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Dry

bio

mass y

ield

(t

ha

-1 s

.s.)

G F MAMN DA S OLG

1998 1999

G F MAMN DA S OLG G F MAMN DA S OLG A S OLG

2000

I100 N120ARUNDO DONAX L.

D G F M

2001

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

I100N120MISCANTHUS x GIGANTEUS Greef e Deu.

N

Field experiments carried out in Catania

Arundo Miscanthus average

1998 617 533 575,0

1999 1127 1010 1068,5

2000 933 880 906,5

average 892,3 807,7

Water consumption (mm/year) in Arundo donax (L.) and Miscanthus x giganteus in three subsequent years Field experiments in Catania

Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench

Family: Poaceae Subfamily: Panicoidee Tribù: Andropogonee

Habitus: herbaceous, annual

Habitat

The plant is native from Central Africa (Etiopia, Sudan, Ciad) and requires high temperature for its growth. Base temperature for seed germination seems to be around 9-10°C, and a temperature of 14-15°C assures a faster emergence.

Yield In no limiting water condition 25-30 tons of dry matter /hectare and in Mediterranean environement can be reached 37-40 t ha-1. In stress conditions 10-15 tons of dry matter/hectare.

Fibre The stem content of cellulose is 36-40%, hemicellulose 25-30% and lignine 8-9 %. The fibre sorghum is used for the production of particle board and for the production of pulp for paper.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), family Poaceae

Origin Central/Eastern Africa

Diffusion Tropic , Subtropic and Warm temperate

Genetic base Many varieties and hybrids

Soil requirement Well structured soil

Photosynthetic pathway C4

Temperature requirement 10 – 38 °C

Altitude From sea level up to 500 m asl

Water requirement > 400 mm year

Photoperiod Shorth day

Climatic constrains Wind, drought, low temperatures, frost

Rotation time Annual

Establishment Sexual

Required machinery Normal farm equipments

Nutrients demand (kg ha-1) 100 - 200 N, 100-150 P, 50-80 K

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 2.0 - 4.0 seeds, 15 - 40 straw t DM ha-1

Product used Fiber

Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.)

Family: Compositae

Species: cardunculus

Habitus

herbaceous, perennial

Habitat The species of Cynara genus originate from Mediterranean environment. In natural conditions the plants restart to grow in autumn and pass winter in the vegetative phase. The crop may use the winter rainfall and does not requires, therefore irrigation during summertime.

Fibre The fibre in the stalk are on the average 0.3 mm long, 18.8 mm wide and have a 4.8 mm wall thickness. The whole stalks have 7.7% ash, 14.6% extractives, 17.0% lignin and 53.0% polysaccharides, mainly cellulose and xylans. The stalk of the plant can be used for the production of pulp for paper.

Yield At harvest the total biomass (20 t ha-1) is composed by 33% of leaves, 22% of stems and by 45% of heads.

Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.), family Compositae

Origin Mediterranean area

Diffusion Warm temperate

Genetic base Some genotypes and hybrids available

Soil requirement Deep and loamy soil

Photosynthetic pathway C3

Temperature requirement 5 – 30 °C

Altitude From sea level up to 600 m asl

Water requirement 400 mm year

Photoperiod Long day

Climatic constrains Frost

Rotation time Perennial

Establishment Sexual

Required machinery Normal farm equipments

Nutrients demand (kg ha-1) 200 N, 60 P, 300 K

Type of biomass Lignocellulosic

Yield 0.5 - 1.5 seeds, 20 - 30 straw t DM ha-1

Product used Fiber

Among the non wood fibre crops in E.U. can be cultivated:

North, Central Europe: flax, Miscanthus, hemp

South Europe (north mediterranean countries):

Hemp, flax, Miscanthus, B.nivea, Arundo, Fiber sorghum, Cynara, Spartium junceum

South Europe (south mediterranean countries):

winter growing: flax, Cynara

summer growing

with limited irrigation: Arundo, sorghum, cotton,

Agave, Spartium junceum

with irrigation: Miscanthus, kenaf, hemp,

B.nivea, switchgrass

Many thanks for your attention