The energy crop growth model SILVA: description and application to eucalyptus plantations in Nicaragua

Energy crop yield is an important parameter for the performance of a biomass energy system, both from a financial and an environmental point of view. A crop growth model is a tool that can be used to estimate yields of energy crops in regions without present experience with these types of crops. This study describes the crop growth model SILVicultural Actual yield model (SILVA), which estimates potential and water-limited yield for a certain region on the basis of solar radiation and daily data for precipitation and pan-evaporation. With the help of already available commercial yields of the same energy crop at a reference location, it makes an estimate for the actual yield that can be expected. The model was applied on plantations of Eucalyptus camaldulensis established for electricity generation at the San Antonio sugar mill in Nicaragua. On the basis of the harvest results of about 10 tonnedm ha−1 yr−1 at the reference location, the Nicaraguan sugar mill Victoria de Julio, it was estimated that the E. camaldulensis plantation at San Antonio could produce about 13 tonnedm ha−1 yr−1, mainly because precipitation was higher. The data requirement of the model matched well with data availability in Nicaragua.