Economy and ecology of cup plant (<em>Silphium perfoliatum</em> L.) compared with silage maize

Authors

  • Pedro Gerstberger Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenökologie, Universität Bayreuth, Germany
  • Friedrich Asen Amt für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten, Abt. Landwirtschaft, Bayreuth, Germany
  • Christoph Hartmann GeoTeam Gesellschaft für umweltgerechte Land- und Wasserwirtschaft mbH, Bayreuth, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5073/JfK.2016.12.05

Keywords:

Cup-plant, Silphium, corn, silage maize, ecological benefit, soil erosion, nitrate input, cultivation costs, greening

Abstract

The North American new bio-energy crop cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) has a great deal of agro-ecolo­gical advantages compared to silage maize as discussed below. It offers a wide range of beneficial properties to climate, soil, groundwater and biodiversity hence, highly recommended to soils that are vulnerable to erosion. We calculated the cultivation cost of cup plant per hectare (established with 20,000 planted seedlings per hectare) for a 15 year period with 3 different yield levels and compared it to that of silage maize over the same time. Our results revealed that, together with additional compensations the costs are more or less on the same level. Additional profit may be possible, when seeding of cup plant will be successful in the future. In contrast to maize the risk for groundwater contamination with nitrate is very low under Silphium. We therefore recommend the incorporation of cup plant crop to special supports to regional or European common market greening programs.

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Published

2016-12-01

Issue

Vol. 68 No. 12 (2016): Special issue cup plant

Section

Short Communication

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