Elpiniki Skoufogianni

Panicum virgatum L. Could Be an Alternative Environmental Friendly Feedstock for Energy Production

The investigation of alternative energy sources environmentally friendly is necessary, due to the decrease of fossil fuel reserves, the increased world population needs and the increased CO2 emissions. During the past two decades, researchers started to investigate the case of producing energy through crop production. Switchgrass is a perennial crop of low input requirements and high biomass production, which could produce high amounts of energy per hectare equivalent to oil. A three years field experiment was conducted in case to examine the effects of four nitrogen fertilization and two irrigation levels, in two different soils, at two different growing stages (vegetative stage and seed mature) on dry biomass yield, calorific value and ash content of switchgrass Alamo variety. It was found that higher dry yield (27-30 t ha) reached on the aquic soil while on the xeric remained at lower levels (14-15 t ha). In the case of the average calorific value it was observed a slight increase (from 17 to 17.3 MJ/kg) according only to crop maturation, while in the case of the average ash content crop maturation had the opposite effect (5.4 and 4.5%). Therefore, it is really important to refer that switchgrass cultivation is able to produce 466 GJ ha and 1.2 t ha ashes which can be used for fertilization and its introduction in future land use systems for an environmentally friendly energy production should be seriously taken into consideration.

Organic Farming as an Essential Tool of the Multifunctional Agriculture

This chapter aims at shedding light on the annals of organic farming and at defining its past and present meaning. Low-profile attempts were made in the first half of the last cen‐ tury when it comes to organic farming as it developed almost independently in the Ger‐ man and English speaking world. Organic farming has been established as a promising and innovative method of meeting agricultural needs and food production with respect to sustainability (climate change, food security and safety, biodiversity, rural development). Its value in terms of environmental benefits is also acknowledged. The differences be‐ tween organic and conventional food stem directly from the farming methods that were used during the food items’ production. Many people are unaware of some of the differen‐ ces between the two practices. Agriculture has a direct effect on our environment, so un‐ derstanding what goes into it is important. There are serious differences between organic and conventional farming; one of the biggest differences that is observed very frequently across all research between the two farming practices is the effect on the land. Conclusive‐ ly, organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on ecosystem management and at‐ tempts to reduce or eliminate external agricultural inputs, especially synthetic ones. It is a holistic production management system that promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity.

Assessment of Greek Forests Protection and Management

Forests perform multiple and intertwined social, economic, and environmental functions. Greek forests are complex biotic communities, characterized by trees, and encompassing much of the life on Earth. Efficient forest management strategies should be formed to consider the future forest dynamics to achieve important management objectives such as biodiversity conservation preserving ecological functions and countering climate change. Greek forests have long been threatened by a variety of destructive agents. The greatest problem for Greek forests is the lack of management. In Greece, during past years, serious natural disasters have occurred, associated with fires and floods that are inextricably linked to its geographic location, geology, geomorphology, vegetation, and the prevailing climatic conditions. Hence, restoration of forest ecosystems is of great importance and a main environmental issue in Greece. Efforts of restoration are based on earlier empirical techniques, which were later improved, and supported by scientific research. The selection of a suitable method and its implementation demands deeper knowledge of natural ecosystem functions and of the physiology of diverse organisms. Moreover, a versatile, and interscientific approach is required, coordinated with the direction of the goals and objectives of the restoration, individual actions, utilization of research results, usage and improvement of technologies, as well as the creation, improvement, and development of infrastructure.

THE USE OF UREASE INHIBITOR FERTILIZERS (AGROTAIN) AND THEIR EFFECT ON CEREAL CROPS AND COTTON YIELD

Many commercial compounds exist that promise the increasing efficiency of urea fertilizers by inhibiting urease activity in soils. Such a compound gaining in commercial importance in the last decades is N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, broadly known with its registered trade name of “Agrotain”. In this paper, the effect of nitrogen fertilizer dressings using Agrotain versus conventional (urea) fertilizers was studied under field conditions. In particular, the effect of three different nitrogen dressings using conventional N-fertilizers and Agrotain was investigated on the growth and final yield of (rainfed) durum wheat, and (irrigated) maize and cotton, grown on a fertile clay loamy soil in Velestino (Thessaly plain) area in central Greece in the year 2015. It was demonstrated that all three crops fertilized Agrotain obtained greater chlorophyll contents and reached significantly higher biomass and grain yields comparing to the crops receiving traditional nitrogen fertilization, obviously due to the more effective nitrogen release and uptake by the crops.Therefore, application of urease inhibitor fertilizers, such as Agrotain, might reduce nitrogen application dressings, reduce N-losses and nitrification, and their introduction to existing crop rotations is highly advisable.