Growth potential of different species and genotypes for biomass production in short rotation in Mediterranean environments Hortensia Sixto a,⇑ , Isabel Cañellas a , Joost van Arendonk a , Pilar Ciria b , Francesc Camps c , Mario Sánchez a , Mariola Sánchez-González a a INIA-CIFOR, Ctra. de la Coruña, km 7,5, 28040 Madrid, Spain b CEDER-CIEMAT, 42290 Lubia, Soria, Spain c IRTA-Fundació Mas Badia, La Tallada, 17134 Girona, Spain article info Article history: Received 17 February 2015 Received in revised form 25 May 2015 Accepted 28 May 2015 Available online 13 June 2015 Keywords: Populus deltoides Populus x canadensis Salix matsudana x Salix spp. Robinia pseudoacacia Platanus x hispanica Biomass production G  E interaction IWUE SRC abstract The sustainable production of lignocellulosic biomass in Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) in the context of bioeconomic development in Europe demands an ever greater understanding of the plant material. Different species and, in some cases, different genotypes (Populus deltoides ‘Baldo’, Populus x canadensis: ‘Orion’, ‘Oudenberg’, ‘Ballottino’ and ‘I-214’; Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Nyirsegi’, Salix matsudana x Salix spp. ‘Levante’ and Platanus x hispanica ‘Girona’) were tested at four contrasting Mediterranean locations to determine the biomass yield after three years. Besides production, genotypic stability is a key factor in furthering our understanding of the plant material, with important implications for the management of plantations as well as for breeding. To study this factor, several stability models were compared (addi- tive mixed model, Shukla’s stability variance model, Finlay–Wilkinson and Eberhart–Russell models) and differences in the response capacity of the material were evaluated in the different environments. This evaluation of genotypic stability, based on the measurement of variances, was complemented by an anal- ysis of the mean genotypic value and the variability in genotype productivity. Intrinsic water use effi- ciency was also evaluated as it is an important trait of plant material destined for use in Mediterranean conditions. S. matsudana x Salix spp. ‘Levante’ exhibited the highest production and showed an intermediate reactivity (stability) as well as high intrinsic water use efficiency under the con- ditions in which it was tested. P. x canadensis ‘Orion’ also displayed a good overall performance and was highly sensitive to improving environmental conditions. Conversely, R. pseudoacacia and P. x hispanica presented yields well below the average as well as low responsiveness to improved environmental con- ditions. Our findings will contribute to a better understanding of plant material, enabling improved rec- ommendations for plantations the Mediterranean area, including more precise large scale predictions. Furthermore, the information provided will be of particular value in future breeding programs. Published by Elsevier B.V. 1. Introduction The sustainable production of biomass is seen as a strategic alternative which contributes to the momentum of the bioecon- omy in Europe (EC, 2012). Moreover, it can contribute to the gen- eration of a wide range of products including those associated with bioenergy. In this context, under the current climate change sce- nario, the EU is stimulating the use of clean, renewable energy, with lignocellulosic biomass being a highly promising alternative (EU, 2009). The Short Rotation Coppice system (SRC) is one of the most effective ways to produce lignocellulosic biomass (Makeschin, 1999). In fact, SRC is a highly suitable option for biomass supply. It offers sustainable production which is particularly interesting from a logistical perspective since it tends to be localized (both in time and space), in contrast to the supply of biomass from woodlands, which is not generally linked to energy production objectives. Hence, to a large extent, these two sources are consid- ered complementary. Much research has been focused on deter- mining the suitability of Salicaceae for SRC both in Europe (Weih, 2004) and the USA (Volka et al., 2006). Poplar hybrids (Populus spp.) are well adapted to a wide range of environmental condi- tions; they grow rapidly at high densities and are suitable for cop- pice cultivation (Tullus et al., 2009). Under optimal environmental http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.05.038 0378-1127/Published by Elsevier B.V. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: sixto@inia.es (H. Sixto). Forest Ecology and Management 354 (2015) 291–299 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Ecology and Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco