A Mediterranean cropping system for bioenergetics purposes:Cynara cardunculusvar.altilis

One of the main objectives of modern Governments is to create a global policy aimed at ensuring the availability of diversified, reliable and affordable energy resources.In order to support the diversification of primary energy sources,Cynara cardunculusvar.AltilisL. was been considered one of most promising renewable energy crop as a source of lignocellulosic biomass and oil from seeds.However, a cultivation for bioenergy purpose is sustainable in a low-medium input context in term of irrigation, fertilization, and weed control.To support the strategic decisions regarding the introduction of the thistle cultivated for energy production into the Mediterranean environment, the crop system was analyzed in its complexity.A first experiment was carried out to determine the long-term effects of management intensities and of years on yield.In the second experiment, the growth analysis of the three genotypes cardoon was investigated during 2 years.The result showed that a reduction in management intensity can increase the energy efficiency of the low farming systems even if with evaluable yield losses within years.Further results indicate substantial differences between genotypes, and it suggest a possibility of choose different genotypes with different productive attitudes: aboveground biomass or seeds.These results need to be verified in a larger scale than this experimental plot.