Environmentally sound management of common reed biomass in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain
Reed beds are a problem in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain as they often occupy agricultural land and also increase the risk of fires, especially in the spring and summer. Due to its biological characteristics Phragmites australis (Cav.) (common reed) is a hard-to-root weed. At the same time, reed beds provide habitat and food for many floodplain dwellers. The optimal solution is not to get rid of reed beds where they exist but to manage the fastgrowing reed biomass while obtaining marketable products. Recycled green cane can be used as fodder for farm animals; dry leaf pulp can be used as solid biofuel, sorbent, or building material. Justification of economically viable use of biomass requires assessment of possible exploitable reserves of plant material. Determination of reed beds and possible exploitable reserves on the territory of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain was carried out by the method of survey plots using GIS-technologies. For several years monitoring surveys on renewal of cut biomass have been carried out at the control sites. Ten thousand hectares of commercial reed areas have been identified. When analyzing the control cuttings, it has been established that the average expected yield of reed is 4.55 to 7.5 t/ha. This yield is sufficient to process the biomass into marketable products such as fuel pellets.