Belowground Biomass and Root:Shoot Ratios of Three Willow Cultivars at Two Sites

Abstract

Belowground biomass is an important but less studied component of energy crop systems that is essential in understanding the greenhouse gas benefits of these systems. In this study, a complete above- and belowground biomass inventory (foliage, stems, stools, coarse and fine roots) was performed on three cultivars of short-rotation willow biomass crops at two sites. Mixed models were used to analyze the proportion of biomass allocated to each component and the ratios between different components. The root:shoot (R:S) ratio, defined here as the stable unharvested biomass (stool and coarse roots) divided by the shoot biomass, averaged 0.63 (SE: +0.04). Though the portion of the plant where the willows distributed their belowground biomass varied, the R:S ratio was not significantly different across sites (p = 0.8970), cultivars (p = 0.2834), nor in the site × cultivar interaction (p = 0.8481). These results may be associated with the consistently good growth across sites and limited differences in site conditions. However, the R:S ratios were affected by the overall productivity of the stand (p = 0.0978), with higher producing stands having moderately lower ratios. This information on biomass allocation between components is essential for understanding and estimating the carbon balance of these systems and breeding and selection programs.