DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A DETAILED, PROCESS-BASED CROP MODEL FOR GIANT REED

The aim of the thesis is the development of a process-based model for the simulation of giant reed growth and productivity under a variety of climatic and management conditions. Arundo donax L. (giant reed) is a perennial C3 grass native to Asia and naturalized to the Mediterranean area. Being part of the second generation biofuel crop (i.e., non-food, cellulosic biomass feedstock for ethanol or combustion), Arundo d. is characterized by high yield potential with low requirements in terms of soil, fertilizers, and water. Therefore giant reed is attracting interest as an alternative energy source and dedicated research studies are continuously increasing. The re-implementation of the sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) model Canegro (DSSAT v4.5) in a framework-independent component was starting point for the development of the Arundo donax L. model (i.e., Arungro). The Canegro component was effectively extended and adapted for giant reed because of several morphological and physiological features shared with sugarcane. The newly developed Arungro model was calibrated and evaluated by means of two dedicated field monitoring under a number of crop ages and management conditions. The model performed reasonably well especially for the estimation of the aboveground biomass. The investigation of the impact of climate change on Arundo donax L. production was carried out by applying the Arungro model in a case study area in the Po valley area. This was the first attempt in evaluating future non-feed and non-food crop productivity.