Biomass recovery from olive rejuvenation pruning in different varieties

The estimates of potential biomass production from pruning in olive often follow generic indications not considering varietaldifferences, training and pruning systems. The main limitation to the valorization of pruning concerns the collection-logisticschain which requires precise starting data, often linked to specific production areas. Traditional groves still represent themajority of the Italian olive cropping systems. Information about intensity and type of rejuvenation pruning is still lacking forthese orchards and data from different climatic conditions are important for further planification of new power plants forenergy valorization. This study evaluates the biomass produced from two rejuvenation pruning intensities (i.e. intense andlight) in five Italian cropping systems in two consecutive years. In the first year, the amount of removed material per tree wascorrelated to the initial canopy volume within treatment so that the biomass produced with intense pruning in the cultivarswith bigger tree size passed 30 t ha-1. In both years, shreddable material was the prevalent fraction (>50%) in the testedcultivars and for both pruning treatments. Even adopting the lowest calorific value of 14.4 MJ kg-1 of dry matter, the energypotential appears promising for a possible economic valorization of the biomass. © 2021, ETA-Florence RenewableEnergies. All rights reserved.