Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Assessment finds yield and survival patterns in shrub willow clones for phytoremediation, suggesting long-term selection implications.
Shrub willow (Salix spp.) is a promising candidate for evapotranspiration (ET) covers due to its rapid growth and high water use. This study assessed 30 willow clones over two three-year rotations on a former industrial waste site in Solvay, NY, with alkaline, low-organic substrates and intermittent hardpan. Survival was high after the first rotation (87.9% ± 1.7 SE), but yield was lower and more variable (6.55 Mg ha−1 y−1 ± 0.25 SE) than on mineral soils. In the second rotation, both survival (42.6% ± 3.0 SE) and yield (5.08 Mg ha−1 y−1 ± 0.38 SE) declined. Clone rankings shifted between rotations (Spearman ρ = 0.13, p = 0.48), suggesting that short-term trials poorly predict long-term performance on degraded sites. Survival emerged as the primary driver of yield, with a smaller interaction from hardpan. Clone 05X-295-014 showed notable resilience, maintaining strong performance despite widespread hardpan. Five clones from S. miyabeana and S. purpurea x S. miyabeana groups demonstrated sustained or increasing yield and survival above 60%. These findings emphasize the importance of selecting for survival alongside yield in multi-rotation trials to ensure effective long-term deployment for biomass and phytoremediation in challenging sites.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Burt et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: