Relay cropping for enhanced food and dedicated lignocelulosic feedstock availability

Relay cropping is an innovative cropping system where food/feed crops and dedicated lignocellulosic crops could be produced in the same land and growing season without competition issues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a dedicated lignocellulosic legume crop on relay planted wheat productivity. Wheat grain yield, bread making quality, and straw production were improved, while the cumulated biomass yield (sunn hemp biomass + wheat straw) arrived to comparable productivity levels of some high yielding perennial grasses (i.e. giant reed). These results suggest that relay cropping could be a sustainable cropping system to integrate food and dedicated biomass crops production.