Willow bark and wood as a source of bioactive compounds and bioenergy feedstock

• Published in: Industrial crops and products 2021-11, Vol.171, p.113976, Article 113976
• Main Authors: Warmiński, Kazimierz, Stolarski, Mariusz J., Gil, Łukasz, Krzyżaniak, Michał
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bioactive compounds; Energy value; Quercetin; Salicylates; Salicylic acid; Salix
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.113976

•Ten willows were evaluated as a source of bioactive compounds and bioenergy feedstock.•The highest salicylates concentration was in Salix purpurea × S. daphnoides bark.•The highest quercetin concentration was found in Salix americana bark.•The salicin yield was found several times higher than salicylic acid yield.•The wood energy value was the highest for Salix purpurea × S. daphnoides. Willow (Salix) is one of the available sources of renewable raw materials, which can be used in various branches of the medical, chemical and energy industry. However, its biomass should be used primarily for the production of high added-value substances. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the production potential of biomass (bark and wood), bioactive substance concentration and energy features of 10 willow genotypes cultivated in annual cycles. Our research found that the highest total biomass yield (13 Mg ha−1 y−1 d.m.) was obtained from the S. purpurea × S. daphnoides UWM 029 hybrid but the highest bark yield from S. americana UWM 094 (3.9 Mg ha−1 y−1 d.m.). The significantly highest salicin concentration was found in the bark of S. purpurea × S. daphnoides (approx. 29 mg g−1); the salicylic acid level was about ten times lower. The potential bioactive substance yield was affected by the bark yield per hectare. The highest salicin yield (over 92 kg ha−1) was obtained from both S. purpurea × S. daphnoides hybrids. The highest yield energy value of wood (191 GJ ha−1 y−1) was found for S. purpurea × S. daphnoides UWM 029. In conclusion two interspecies hybrids of S. purpurea × S. daphnoides UWM 029 and UWM 193 were found to be the most promising in terms of the analysed features. However, a full assessment of the practical use of the hybrids requires further research into the economic and environmental effects of willow cultivation and bioactive substances production.