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Two studies conducted in Guadeloupe (West Indies) and Réunion (Indian Ocean) islands were designed to investigate the benefits of producing sugarcane as an energy crop and to assess the influence of agroclimatic factors on energy efficiency, respectively. In this context, it is essential to know the low heating value of the dry above-ground biomass (LHVd, MJ/kg) and its energy yield (EY, MJ/m2) in order to select the best varieties and set up a payment method for growers. Eighteen Poaceae (sugarcane and Erianthus) cultivars were compared under wet tropical environmental conditions in Guadeloupe. Three sugarcane cultivars were studied in four contrasting environments in Réunion. The partition sampling and biomass measurement procedures were identical at both locations. Low heating value (LHV) predictions were achieved using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) after specific calibration (Guadeloupe), or arithmetically after lignocellulosic compound prediction (Réunion). In both studies, LHV variability was very low and slightly dependent on the site, cultivar and above-ground biomass components (millable stalks and tops, and green and dead leaves). Considering the overall dry above-ground biomass (DAB, kg/m2), the LHVd was calculated by averaging 159 samples (mean 16.65 MJ/kg) in Guadeloupe and 315 samples (mean 16.45 MJ/kg) for Réunion. An excellent linear relationship between the DAB and its EY, regardless of cultivar, age and environment, was found (n = 474 and R² = 0.99). Sugarcane energy content assessment could thus be simplified by measuring the DAB, while enabling development of a faster method of payment for growers based on the DAB measurement and the correlation between DAB and EY. Finally, the findings of this study should allow growers to rapidly determine the commercial value of their sugarcane crops, and also enable purchasers to assess the amount of recoverable energy. (Résumé d'auteur)

Earth observation (EO) data are useful tools to analyse geomorphological processes, among which slow-moving landslides triggered by rainfall. EO data are also used to evaluate climate change and to assess its impact on geomorphological processes and geo-hydrological phenomena. The latter is the topic of the Project OT4Clima (Innovative Earth Observation technologies to study Climate Change and its impact on the environment) joined by CNR-IRPI within a consortium that includes other CNR institutes, universities and private companies. The OT4CLIMA project moves from the awareness that the impacts of climate change on the environment need to be better observed, understood, and modelled, especially at a regional scale, in order to put in place appropriate and effective risk mitigation strategies. Within the project, the CNR-IRPI group works on the development of rigorous methods and procedures for evaluating the impact of climate and its change on landslides, in particular on those characterized by a slow cinematic, at a regional scale. The test site is represented by four catchments located in the Basilicata region, southern Italy, namely the basins of the Bradano, Basento, Agri, and Sinni rivers. Long-term rainfall series gathered from 22 rain gauges located in the four catchments are analysed to evaluate the presence of temporal trends. To this aim, non-parametric and statistical tests are applied to the series. Historical landslide information is gathered from the analysis of the IFFI (Inventario dei Fenomeni Franosi in Italia) database, the Idrogeo platform (https://idrogeo.isprambiente.it/app/) and the AVI (Aree Vulnerate in Italia) catalogue. Only some types of landslide movements are considered, namely rotational-translational slides, slow slides/flows, complex movements. Moreover, Copernicus Sentinel-1 images are employed to detect the spatial and temporal distribution of slow earth surface deformations. The obtained results are used for checking the completeness of the landslide inventories. More in detail, the deformation maps of the test site are obtained by means of the application of the SBAS (Small BAseline Subset) technique to three datasets of Sentinel-1 images: t146 ascending orbit and t51 and t124 descending orbits, for the period 2015-2020. Then, a comparative analysis of rainfall data with displacement series is carried out with the aim of identifying clusters of satellite measurements with homogeneous behaviour likely correlated to variations in the rainfall regime. In particular, only the points with a mean velocity in the observation higher than 0.1 cm/year are considered to be moving. Moreover, only the displacement series of points located in areas mapped as landslides - as for the historical inventories - and sited within the influence regions of each rain gauge in the study area are analysed. A 10-km circular buffer centred in the stations are used to define the influence region of each station. The displacement series are analysed and compared to the rainfall series to search for correlations and to evaluate the effects of climate drivers on slow moving landslides.

It is widely known that fossil fuels are limited; consequently, the generation of new sources of energy in a clean and environmentally friendly manner is a research priority. Bioethanol appears to be one potential solution, especially second-generation production from renewable biomass.In order to use lignocellulosic feedstock to produce bioethanol, its polysaccharide components, cellulose and hemicellulose, must be hydrolysed into soluble sugars, which can then be converted into ethanol by fermentative microorganisms such as Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius TM242 used by the company ReBio Technologies Ltd.To date, the cost of commercial enzymes used during the hydrolysis process remains a major economic consideration in the production of second-generation bioethanol as an alternative fuel. The research project presented in this thesis aims to improve this rate-limiting step of microbial bioethanol production through an investigation of the different enzymes associated with hemicellulose hydrolysis. Firstly, the TM242 genome sequence revealed a number of genes encoding glycoside-hydrolases. Six of these genes were cloned and expressed in E. coli and the recombinant enzymes characterised; three of them, two β-xylosidases and an α arabinofuranosidase, are relevant to xylan hydrolysis, and were found to be highly active and thermostable. Crystallisation of one of the β-xylosidases permitted the determination of a high-resolution (1.7 Å) structure of the apo-enzyme along with a lower resolution (2.6 Å) structure of the enzyme-substrate complex, resulting in the first reported structure of a GH52 family member (Espina et al., 2014).Secondly, as the TM242 microorganism lacks xylanase enzymes, four genes encoding xylanases from closely-related Geobacillus strains were cloned and expressed in E. coli, with one of them being also successfully cloned and expressed in G. thermoglucosidasius TM242. This heterologous xylanase was secreted in active form representing an enhanced biomass utilisation by TM242.In conclusion, it is felt that the findings presented here have the potential to make a valuable contribution towards second-generation bioethanol production.

Reducing agronomic input supply can significantly contribute to decrease the environmental impact of bioenergy cropping systems. Currently, there is a renewed industrial interest in non-food oil crops for different end-uses application. Among species from Brassica genus, Brassica carinata A. Braun is an interesting winter annual crop in warm and semi-arid environments and may provide a rotation alternative with cereal crops, sourcing non-edible oil for the industry, additional incomes to the farmers and soil benefits. The present study compared four Brassica carinata lines (GID-6165, GIP-6164, GID-6091, GID-6084) under two different organic fertilization levels (80 and 160 kg N ha-1) in a semiarid Mediterranean area. These four lines have not been tested in Southern Italy previously, nor under the present low-input cultivation practices in semiarid Mediterranean area. Main findings showed a significant fertilization effect (P=0.05), with the high-input providing higher seed yields and harvest index than low-input. There was no genotype effect, however, the gap between potential (i.e. seed yield at the programmed plant density) and actual yields was rather high for GID-6165 and GID-6080. On the other hand, genotype had the largest effect on the thousand seed weight and the residual biomass yield. In general, GID-6091 and GID-6165 reached seed physiological maturity earlier than GID-6084 and GID-6164 lines. The present study proved that improved B. carinata lines can be grown in semiarid Mediterranean area under low-input organic systems, providing satisfactory seed yields. However, seedbed preparation was noticed to be key to narrow the gap between potential and actual seed yield, particularly under the present clay soil. Proceedings of the 30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 9-12 May 2022, Online, pp. 120-124

On behalf of the EURAF2020 Scientific and Organizing Committees, we are very pleased to introduce the rich collection of research on agroforestry illustrated in this book of abstracts and presented within the 5° European Agroforestry Conference. Unfortunately, as we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to meet only remotely, despite all the efforts of our local and national organizers to hold the conference in presence. We are conscious about the completely different dimension, which does not allow participants to meet, discuss and live the conference supported by an environment socially vibrant and rich of cross-cultural stimuli as the real Sardinia can offer. Nevertheless, in accordance with the mission of the European Agroforestry Federation, EURAF, to promote agroforestry knowledge, we wish to support the sharing of data presented and solicit a fruitful scientific confrontation on agroforestry issues. This book is the result of a long and rigorous work performed by the authors (about 230 abstracts sent from 5 continents and 37 countries) and members of the Scientific Committee. The book will be one of the tools supporting such confrontation we are glad to foster from the heart of the Mediterranean.

II ABSTRACT Climate change is expected due to the increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbondioxide and other trace gasses, which lead to changes in the radioactive balance of the atmosphere. Such changes propagate further to those in temperature i and other climatic variables. Hydrologic systems and water resources are likely to be seriously impacted by global climate change. Such processes as surface runoff, precipitation, soil moisture, groundwater, water quality, and sea levels will be significantly exposed to effects of climate change. Eventually, these effects will have to be considered in water resources planning and management. The study presented stems from the above needs and addresses the problem of climate change-water resources interactions. It is intended here to investigate the possible effects of climate change on watershed scale hydrologic processes and water demand. Within this context, the current methods used in developed countries are applied to the case of the Gediz River Basin, and possible impacts of changes in climatic variables, i.e., precipitation and temperature, are investigated as they relate to runoff The results of the study should not considered as exact values to represent the effects of climate change. They are essentially `estimates` on `likely` effects of an expected climate change. However, the results also show that, if the prescribed climate change scenarios do occur in the future, they will have significant effects on the hydrology of the basin which, in turn, affects water demand for various water resources development plans. Accordingly, the study presented should be considered as an initial step towards assessment of climate change impacts and should be reaccomplished in future attempts towards any planning or management activity in the basin. ÖZET İklim değişikliği, atmosferdeki karbondioksit (CO2) ve diğer antropojen sera gazı konsantrasyonlarının giderek artması sonucu beklenmektedir. İklim değişikliğinin sonucunda beklenen en önemli olgu, sıcaklık, yağış, evapotranspirasyon, akış gibi temel iklimsel ve hidrolojik değişkenlerdeki muhtemel değişimlerdir. Bu etkilerin su kaynakları planlama ve yönetiminde değerlendirilmesi gerekmektedir. Sunulan çalışma, iklim değişikliğinin su kaynakları ile olan ilişkisini incelemektedir. Bu değişimlerden hidrolojik çevrimin ve su kaynaklarının gerek miktarı ve gerekse kalitesinin de etkilenmesi beklenmektedir. Dolayısıyla, küresel iklim değişikliğinin havza su dengesine ve su kaynaklarının planlama ve yönetimine de yansıması söz konusudur. Bu kapsamda sunulan çalışmada alt havza bazında sıcaklık ve yağış gibi iklim parametrelerinin, akıma olan etkileri incelenmiş ve duyarlılık analizi ile sonuçlar değerlendirilmiştir. 75

Sustainable agriculture leads today to important questions about the diversification of agricultural production and sources of income for farmers, the use of rural and arable land for food and non-food crops, the contribution of agriculture to climate change fighting and the supply of renewable energy. Bioenergy from agriculture is at the heart of these concerns, integrating sustainable development key components: environment and climate change, energy economics and energy supply, agriculture, rural and social development. The lack of primary and reliable data on bioenergy externalities from agriculture and the lack of decision-making tools are important non-technological barriers to the development of bioenergy from agriculture on a large scale, and, consequently, to the achievement of the national and regional objectives of sustainable development with respect to greenhouse gas mitigation, secure and diversified energy supply, rural development and employment and the future of agriculture. Furthermore, the recent worldwide controversies about transport biofuels, food shortages and increasing prices have demonstrated the urgent need for sustainability criteria applied to biofuels and bioenergy. Within this current sustainable development framework, a project entitled TEXBIAG integrating experts from 4 research institutions is financed by the Belgian Science Policy. The final objective of this project is to lead to an actual and significant contribution of bioenergy from agriculture to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, to a secure and diversified energy supply and to farmers' incomes and rural development. To reach this final objective, the project develops three specific tools: (1) a database of primary quantitative data related to environmental and socio-economic impacts of bioenergy from agriculture integrating biomass logistics; (2) a mathematical model monetizing bioenergy externalities from agriculture; and (3) a prediction tool assessing the impacts of political decisions made in the framework ofthe development of bioenergy from agriculture on different economic sectors (energy, agriculture, industry, and environment). An integrated interface tool will be programmed where access to and update of the three tools will be prepared. The project methodology will be conducted for a given number of scenarios with sensitivity analysis wherever possible. The three main target groups that will benefit from the project are: the government officials and policy makers in the field of agriculture, energy and environment in Belgium and its two main regions, the small, medium and large energy companies and the agricultural sector

This paper discusses activities and results of the REBAF project: a two-year Italian regional research project focused on the energy conversion of biomass residues from river, canals and basins maintenance activities. Innovative pathways for the exploitation of grass and woodsy biomasses were investigated. Gasification and pyrolysis are the key technologies for biomass conversion into energy. Woodsy biomass was tested as fuel in a small scale commercial gasification power plants that produce heat and power using a IC engine. A valuable by-product of the process was biochar. This was tested as soil improver in giant reed crop parcels and a sensible increase of dry biomass production was achieved in comparison with control parcels. The grass residues obtained from canals maintenance were carbonized in lab-scale pyrolyzer at a temperature of about 450 °C through the hot exhaust of the engine fueled by the gasifier. The pyrolysis gases were used directly in the gasifier in substitution of the gasifying agent. The residual carbon afterward the pyrolysis process was used as filler in cements, plasters and polyurethane panels increasing performance of these building materials. Proceedings of the 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 50-56

In this experimental study, effects of the traditional and no-tillage systems on grain yield, energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were compared in winter wheat production in Southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The CO2 emissions associated with direct fuel and lubricant oil consumptions have estimated according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) approach. The fuel consumptions per hectare were determined as 50.96 L and 13.1 L under traditional and no-tillage systems, respectively. The use of traditional system released 145.57 kgCO2 per hectare, while the no-tillage system released only 37.42 kgCO2 per hectare. Under traditional tillage system the plowing (79.3 kgCO2/ha) had a great influence on total CO2 emissions, accounting for 54.5 % of total CO2 emissions. The grain yield (6017 kg/ha) under no-tillage system was 796 kg per hectare lower than that of traditional tillage system. The specific fuel consumptions (SFC) were 7.78 L/t and 2.26 L/t under traditional and no tillage systems, respectively. While 1 liter fuel was consumed to produce 441.83 kg grain under traditional tillage system, 128.6 kg grain was obtained per L fossil fuel consumed under the no-tillage system. Compared to traditional tillage system, 5.52 L less fossil fuel in the other word 204 MJ less fossil energy was consumed to produce per ton of grain wheat. Under no-tillage system to produce per ton grain wheat 243.6% less CO2 was released during tillage and sowing practices compared to traditional tillage system. WOS: 000465645700017