Showcase Bioeconomy: Industrial Plants Make Unproductive Arable Land Profitable

April 12, 2021

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(University of Hohenheim (Google translation)) European project with the participation of the University of Hohenheim researches how unprofitable fields with renewable raw materials can be used sustainably and with added value -- Unused potential: Around 65 million hectares of agricultural land in Europe are hardly or not at all usable for conventional agriculture. The aim of the European research project MAGIC is to develop this enormous potential.

Researchers from twelve countries are concerned with the question of how farmers can use these so-called marginal agricultural areas with little effort by growing industrial plants in an economically profitable manner. The Department of Renewable Raw Materials in the Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart is one of 26 cooperation partners in the bioeconomy project funded by the EU with around six million euros. With almost 400,000 euros in funding, the project is one of the heavyweights of research in Hohenheim.

Around 65 million hectares of agricultural land, an area slightly larger than France, was given up in Europe because the cultivation of food crops was no longer profitable there. Unfavorable conditions such as low temperatures, drought or excessive moisture, soil problems or even steep slopes made the cultivation of these areas uninteresting for farmers.

The EU project "Marginal lands for Growing Industrial Crops: Turning a burden into an opportunity", MAGIC for short, is intended to remedy this. For more than three years, scientists from twelve European countries have been working on the question of how these areas can be used in an economically and ecologically sustainable way through the cultivation of so-called industrial plants.

Industrial crops not only provide abundant renewable biomass for energy generation, but also for the production of bio-based raw materials. These, in turn, are the starting material for the production of modern, high-quality materials, such as bio-based plastics or composite materials, lubricants, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Sustainable biomass production on marginal areas for a growing bioeconomy

The head of the Department of Renewable Resources in Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim, Prof. Dr. Iris Lewandowski: "MAGIC is a broad-based project with which we want to show farmers across Europe options for growing industrial plants and give them decision-making support: Starting with the mapping of areas, through the breeding and selection of suitable plants, to the development of cultivation and harvesting methods . Last but not least, we also want to draw up recommendations for action for politicians to support this form of agricultural use. "

By growing industrial plants, on the one hand, marginal agricultural land can be used to provide valuable raw materials for products with a high added value and for the generation of bioenergy, without any competition with food production.

On the other hand, the income base of farmers will also be improved. "By making set-aside land usable again and thus upgrading it and opening up new markets for biomass, the farmers' income also improves," continues Prof. Dr. Lewandowski gone.

Reduce loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and the release of greenhouse gases

Your colleague and since 2018 head of the Hohenheim work package Dr. Moritz complemented by Cossel ". In addition, the cultivation contributes industrial plants through its extensive cultivation way help to reduce the loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and the release of greenhouse gases,"

"The Great Grass Miscanthus example, grows up to 20 years on the same area, without the farmer having to work the soil, ”he describes. "And since it is harvested in spring every year, it not only prevents valuable soil from being removed during violent autumn storms, but also helps to promote soil fertility."

Sustainability plays a crucial role in the evaluation of all measures. The benefits of growing industrial crops depend very much on whether there is potential competition with food production, whether biodiversity and other ecosystem services are impaired, and which industrial crops and which cultivation methods are to be used.

The plant and its location must match

The starting point for the MAGIC researchers was the question of which plants are suitable for cultivation on marginal agricultural land under which conditions. "Although industrial plants usually have a different robustness, for example in relation to sandy or saline areas, than food plants, they are also not suitable for all marginal locations", explains Dr. from Cossel.

For this reason, marginal agricultural areas across Europe were first recorded and mapped on which industrial plants could be cultivated, following socio-ecological and sustainable criteria. In addition, the scientists selected a total of 20 annual and perennial plant species for further cultivation experiments - including rediscovered old cultivated species such as camelina and safflower.

Many of the plants can be used multiple times. For example, oil is extracted from the seeds of industrial hemp, while fibers are extracted from the stems.

"Starting with the planter, through small plots to entire fields, we test across Europe how the plants develop under marginal growth conditions," says Dr. from Cossel.

Special farming and harvesting practices

In addition, the researchers are interested in which management methods are associated with the least amount of effort for the farmer and with the least interference with the ecosystem. It turned out that the right choice of industrial plants for the location is a decisive factor. Because all other necessary measures, such as tillage, fertilization, weed control, irrigation, etc., depend very much on how the plant is adapted to the respective location.

The harvesting technology must also be tailored to the respective plant species. Different harvesting methods are often used for harvesting industrial plants than for food crops. "Farmers often do not have the necessary knowledge of how and when to cultivate and harvest the plants, and therefore do without cultivation altogether," explains Dr. from Cossel.

That is why the scientists adapt existing harvesting methods to specific needs or develop new harvesting methods. Dr. von Cossel using the example of industrial hemp, which is harvested “twice”: “Within a harvesting process, the seed heads are first harvested and collected and only then are the stalks of the plant mown. In this way, both parts of the plant can be further processed separately. ”

Databases and decision-making aids for interested parties

All findings from the mapping work are incorporated into a database that is publicly accessible on the project website. In this way, visitors can find out about the status of marginal land areas in their region. But they can also help improve the quality of the map.

In addition, there is another database on the website with information on the 20 most important industrial plants that can be grown on marginal locations. All essential information on the respective crop is summarized in fact sheets, starting with their soil and climate preferences, soil preparation and sowing, water and fertilizer requirements, diseases and pests, up to yields and purposes as well as special features of harvesting methods and storage.

An additional decision-making system gives a quick and clear overview of the most suitable industrial plants for the given climatic and geological site conditions and is intended to help farmers develop sustainable industrial plant cultivation systems on marginal agricultural areas.

Further information:
MAGIC homepage: http://magic-h2020.eu
Scientific publication on the project: https://doi.org/10.3390/en12163123

BACKGROUND: Marginal lands for Growing Industrial Crops: Turning a burden into an opportunity (MAGIC)

26 cooperation partners from universities and research institutes as well as companies from all over Europe are involved in the MAGIC project. Including Wageningen University and Research, AgroParisTech and the University of Bologna, with which the University of Hohenheim has merged to form the European Bioeconomy University (EBU). This alliance of leading European bioeconomy universities is led by the University of Hohenheim.

The MAGIC scientific consortium heads the Greek Center for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving Foundation (CRES). MAGIC started on July 1, 2017 and will end in December 2021. The European Union is funding MAGIC under the Horizon 2020 framework program with a total of almost six million euros. The University of Hohenheim accounts for around € 400,000 of this, which makes it a research focus there.

BACKGROUND: Research heavyweights

Scientists from the University of Hohenheim acquired 33.9 million euros in third-party funding in 2019 for research and teaching. In loose succession, the “Research Heavyweights” series presents outstanding research projects with a financial volume of at least 350,000 euros for research using equipment or 150,000 euros for non-equipment research.

BACKGROUND: Science Year 2020 | 21 - Bioeconomy

In 2020 and 2021, the Year of Science will be dominated by the bioeconomy - and thus a sustainable, bio-based economy. The aim is to produce and use natural materials and resources in a sustainable and innovative way, thus replacing fossil and mineral raw materials, manufacturing products in a more environmentally friendly manner and conserving biological resources. In times of climate change, a growing world population and a drastic decline in species, this is more necessary than ever. The Bioeconomy Science Year, organized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), puts the topic in the spotlight. At the University of Hohenheim in April it will be under the monthly focus “Renewable Raw Materials and Co. - Alternatives for the Future”.

The bioeconomy is the University of Hohenheim's main theme in research and teaching. It connects the agricultural, natural and economic and social sciences faculties. In the Bioeconomy Science Year, the University of Hohenheim informs experts and the general public on the topic in numerous events. READ MORE

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