ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF BIOSTIMULANTS APPLICATION ON MISCANTHUS X GIGANTEUS GROWN IN POLLUTED SOILS VIA THE APPLICATION OF THE ARUNGRO MODEL UNDER OPEN FIELD AND GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS

Growing lignocellulosic crops in contaminated areas is crucial to produce large amounts of biomass avoiding ILUC effect. Miscanthus is a promising crop for metal-polluted soils phytomanagement. To this scope, the use of biostimulants and microorganisms to increase miscanthus yield is nowadays interesting. However, most experiments are still limited to greenhouse conditions and do not implement models to support the real applicability of miscanthus in degraded areas. In this study, the effect of humic and fulvic acids in combination with mycorrhizae was evaluated on miscanthus grown in polluted soil through two in-vivo trials: in open field (Exp1) and in greenhouse (Exp2). Data collected on treated and untreated (T and C respectively) plants were used to improve and calibrate the Arungro model specific for Miscanthus simulation. In Exp2, first year T plants showed significantly greater root proliferation than C. This may resulted in a marked effect on biomass yield in Exp1 at the end of the second growing season. Model performances denoted a good agreement between observed and simulated AGBs for C. The inclusion in Arungro of the biostimulants effects allowed to improve AGB estimates in T. The improved model will be further validated using a third year data collection for Exp1.