Energy plantation
Different energy plantations on the field bunds
Different energy plantations on t he dykes
- It
is the practice of planting trees, purely for their use as fuel. In this
practice selected trees and shrub species are grown so that they can produce
biomass in the shortest possible time (generally 5-10 yrs) and at a minimal
cost.
- The
produced biomass satisfies the energy need of the local population. This helps
in minimizing the pressure on the consumption of non-renewable sources of
energy and also prevents the destruction of the main forest.
- Trees
absorb the greenhouse gas in quantities broadly equivalent to the amount
emitted when plant material decay or burned. They are thus called “Carbon
neutral” fuel sources. Moreover, planting energy crops helps in creating a
“carbon sink” which includes storing carbon in the underground soil through the
tree root system.
- Under energy plantation, annual or perennial plants are grown on the field bunds of rice field or on the dykes of pond based farming system in lowland to meet the energy demand.
- The
species to be planted should have the following characters: (i) fast growth,
(ii) resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, (iii) not preferred by the cattle
and other animals for grazing, (iv) high calorific value, (v) absence of
deleterious volatiles when smokes come out and (vii) high yield of biomass.