Assessing lignocellulosic biomass production from crop residues in the European Union: Modelling,analysis of the current scenario and drivers of interannual variability

This study assesses crop residues in the EU from major crops using empirical models to predict crop residues from yield statistics; furthermore it analyses the inter‐annual variability of those estimates over the period 1998‐2015, identifying its main drivers across Europe. The models were constructed based on an exhaustive collection of experimental data from scientific papers for the crops: wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, rice, maize, sorghum, rapeseed, sunflower, soybean, potato and sugarbeet. We discuss the assumptions on the relationship between yield and the harvest index, adopted by previous studies, to interpret the experimental data, quantify the uncertainties of these models, and establish the premises to implement them at regional scale –i.e., NUTS level 3– within the EU. To cope this, we created a consolidated sub‐national statistical data along with an algorithm able to aggregate (figures are provided at country level) and disaggregate (production at 25 km grid is provided assupplementary material) estimates. The total lignocellulosic biomass production in the EU28 over the review period, according to our models, is 419 Mt, from which wheat is the major contributor (155 Mt). Our results show that maize and rapeseed are the two crops with the highest residue yield, respectively 8.9 and 8.6 t ha‐1. The spatial analysis revealed that these three crops, which, according to our results, are feedstocks highly suitable a priori for second generation biofuels in the EU and are unevenly distributed across Europe. Weather fluctuation was identified as the major driver in residue production from cereals, while, in the case of starch crops and oilseeds – which are predominant in northern Europe – corresponded to the marked production trend likely influenced by the agricultural policies and agro‐management over the review period. Our results, among others, could help to understand and quantify the ecological boundaries of the bioeconomy from agriculture.     

Modeling spatial dependence and economic hotspots in landowners’ willingness to supply bioenergy crops in the northeastern United States

This paper investigates the spatial heterogeneity of landowners’ willingness to supply three bioenergy crops: switchgrass, Miscanthus, and willow, in the northeastern United States. Spatial heterogeneity might arise for several reasons. For example, landowners closer to bioenergy processing plants might be more likely to be willing to supply bioenergy crops, and landowners who are more willing to supply bioenergy crops may be spatially clustered because they share similar land attributes, demographics, experiences, and/or values. Using high‐resolution GIS data related to the location of pellet plants utilizing bioenergy crops and survey data related to landowners’ characteristics including spatial location, we estimate a spatial probit model to explain the variation in individual‐specific reservation prices (RPs)—the feedstock price at which landowners become willing to supply a bioenergy crop. We find that respondents’ RP is lower the closer they live to their nearest pellet plant and spatial dependency is only present for switchgrass supply. We also identify three economic hotspots (areas with high potential supply and low RPs) for each bioenergy crop. We believe that bioenergy supply chains could be developed around these hotspots.     

Describing maize (Zea Mays L.) landrace persistence in the Bajío of Mexico: A survey of 1940s and 1950s collection locations

Passport data for Mexico’s Guanajuato State were used to locate the sites where maize was collected in the 1940s and 1950s in an effort to document and conserve diversity. A map presenting survey points illustrates that collections have occurred repeatedly in the same locations. Observations of these locations reveal that urbanization and industrialization, not high yielding varieties, are displacing traditional varieties. Non-linear principal components analysis was used to assess associations between variables in areas where maize persists. Landraces appear to be associated with mountains and mesas, mixed cropping, little or no access to irrigation and areas classified as having low agricultural capacity; conversely, landraces have more commonly been replaced in areas of high agricultural capacity. The areas of high agriculture capacity, located in the riparian areas and plains, also have been the easiest to develop for urban and industrial use. Increasingly high rates of urbanization and development in areas of high agriculture capacity will impede the conservation of crop diversity in these areas.     

Intellectual property, genetically modified crops and bioethics

The implementation of a new technology is almost always surrounded by a debate on the moral and social implications that may arise. The debate with regard to genetically modified (GM) crops has been one of the longest and most controversial. However, one area of the debate that receives less attention is the role that intellectual property can play. The introduction of an effective and yet appropriate intellectual property system addressing society's particular needs can eliminate some of these issues. This paper looks at whether the situation in Europe is meeting our current needs and also addresses the role intellectual property can play in the debate over the introduction of GM crops in developing countries.     

Manipulation of oxidative stress responses as a strategy to generate stress-tolerant crops. From damage to signaling to tolerance

Plants exposed to hostile environmental conditions such as drought or extreme temperatures usually undergo oxidative stress, which has long been assumed to significantly contribute to the damage suffered by the organism. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduced under stress conditions were proposed to destroy membrane lipids and to inactivate proteins and photosystems, ultimately leading to cell death. Accordingly, considerable effort has been devoted, over the years, to improve stress tolerance by strengthening antioxidant and dissipative mechanisms. Although the notion that ROS cause indiscriminate damage in vivo has been progressively replaced by the alternate concept that they act as signaling molecules directing critical plant developmental and environmental responses including cell death, the induction of genes encoding antioxidant activities is commonplace under many environmental stresses, suggesting that their manipulation still offers promise. The features and consequences of ROS effects depend on the balance between various interacting pathways including ROS synthesis and scavenging, energy dissipation, conjugative reactions, and eventually reductive repair. They represent many possibilities for genetic manipulation. We report, herein, a comprehensive survey of transgenic plants in which components of the ROS-associated pathways were overexpressed, and of the stress phenotypes displayed by the corresponding transformants. Genetic engineering of different stages of ROS metabolism such as synthesis, scavenging, and reductive repair revealed a strong correlation between down-regulation of ROS levels and increased stress tolerance in plants grown under controlled conditions. Field assays are scarce, and are eagerly required to assess the possible application of this strategy to agriculture.     

Genetics‐based methods for agricultural insect pest management

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Autotoxic potential of cucurbit crops

Soil sickness is often observed in cucurbit crops such as Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo and Cucumis sativus, but not in cucurbit crops such as Cucurbita moschata, Lagenaria leucantha and Luffa cylindrica. Results showed that root aqueous extracts of Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo and Cucumis sativus were autotoxic, but those of Cucurbita moschata, Momordica charantia and Luffa cylindrica were less autotoxic to the radicle elongation of respective species. Plant growth of Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo and Cucumis sativus were greatly inhibited by autotoxic substances released from powered root tissue at a rate of 1 g per seedling. Root exudates of Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo and Cucumis sativus were autotoxic to radicle elongation and seedling growth of respective species. However, root exudates of Citrullus lanatus did not inhibit radicle elongation of Cucurbita ficifolia, which is commonly used as rootstock for the grafting of Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo and Cucumis sativus to decrease soil-borne diseases in commercial production. It seems possible to overcome autotoxicity in cucurbit crops by grafting on Cucurbita ficifolia. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stable expression of Gal/GalNAc lectin of Entamoeba histolytica in transgenic chloroplasts and immunogenicity in mice towards vaccine development for amoebiasis

Chloroplast genetic engineering offers several advantages, including high levels of transgene expression, transgene containment via maternal inheritance and multigene engineering in a single transformation event. Entamoeba histolytica infects 50 million people, causing about 100 000 deaths annually, but there is no approved vaccine against this pathogen. LecA , a potential target for blocking amoebiasis, was expressed for the first time in transgenic plants. Stable transgene integration into chloroplast genomes and homoplasmy were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analyses. LecA expression was evaluated by Western blots and quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (up to 6.3% of total soluble protein or 2.3 mg LecA/g leaf tissue). Subcutaneous immunization of mice with crude extract of transgenic leaves resulted in higher immunoglobulin G titres (up to 1 : 10 000) than in previous reports. An average yield of 24 mg of LecA per plant should produce 29 million doses of vaccine antigen per acre of transgenic plants. Such high levels of expression and immunogenicity should facilitate the development of a less expensive amoebiasis vaccine.