97 Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Naturae, 2: 97–103, 2017, ISSN 2543-8832 DOI: 10.24917/25438832.2.7 Joanna Puła*, Angelika Kliszcz Department of Agrotechnology and Agricultural Ecology, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Mickiewicza Ave. 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland, *rrpula@cyf-kr.edu.pl The yield of Jerusalem artichoke plant Helianthus tuberosus L. grown in various combinations of fertilisation – preliminary research Introduction Jerusalem artichoke – Helianthus tuberosus L. is commonly known in Poland as ‘topinambur’. It is a plant whose history goes back to the pre-Columbian times, when in the eastern and southern parts of North America, topinambur was cultivated by indigenous peoples. �e Jerusalem artichoke was brought to Europe in the early 17th century (Jasińska, Kotecki, 2003). Despite the many advantages of tubers, both in nu- tritional aspects (content of inulin, high content of vitamins and minerals) and the ability to use it in the human diet (tubers can be fried, cooked, marinated, pickled), until now, this plant has not found a widespread use and the area of cultivation is still small (Cieślik, 1998; Cieślik, Filipiak-Florkiewicz, 2000). In Poland, it is cultivated on a small scale, mostly for feed and consumer purposes and as an energy crop and dec- orative plant. �e plant can be used for energy purposes in a twofold way: harvesting green fodder for biogas production or harvesting tubers for bioethanol production. Assuming a triple cut of green fodder and yield within 100 t∙ha-1, biogas production can reach a level of 53.500 m3. In the case of straw (50 t∙ha-1), it is possible to generate 900 GJ during combustion, and as far as the use of tubers is concerned, it has been calculated that, from 25 t∙ha-1, 2.600 dm3 of ethanol can be obtained (Piskier, 2004). �is plant is successfully planted around the forest as bait for forestry quarry (mainly wild boars) to minimize losses in root crops in adjacent crop �elds. �e Latin name Helianthus tuberosus was proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1753; how- ever, the popular name is topinambur and, in English literature, the Jerusalem arti- choke. �e origin of this �rst nomenclature is related to the Indian tribe Topinamba in South America, from where this native plant was taken over by the natives of the North American continent. One of the theories that explain the English name of this plant is derived from the organoleptic properties of this plant. Namely, the cooked Jo an na P uł a, A ng el ik a K lis zc z 98 tubers are similar in taste and texture to the receptacle of the globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.). On the other hand, the reference to Jerusalem artichoke may just be a phonetic simpli�cation of the Italian word (girasole) in the 17th century, in response to the di�culty of pronunciation (Kays, Nottingham, 2008). In Poland, there are mainly two cultivar varieties: cv. Albik, elongated, white tubers and cv. Rubik, oval tubers with purple and red skin. Other foreign varieties such as ‘Boston Red’, ‘Fuseau’, or ‘Golden Nugget’ are also available (Makowski, 2014). �is species belongs to the Compositae family (now Asteraceae). �ese plants produce raised stems of about 3–4 m height and underground stolons, at the ends of which are formed tubers of various shapes and di�erent colours, depending on the variety (Forkiewicz et al., 2007). �is species is extremely tolerant to the environment. It does not require intensive cultivation, and stands poor sites in nutrients and water quite well. It reproduces by seeds (but it is quite easy to create hybrids in a natural state and as a short-day plant, in our latitude, it will not be able to develop mature seeds before frosts) as well as veg- etatively by tubers (Jasińska, Kotecki, 2003). Tubers winter in the soil and start growing quite fast in spring. �e plant shading the ground dynamically is much better at dealing with weeds, which gives it an ad- vantage over other root crops, especially in relation to the potato. �ere is no need to plant tubers every year, as the inulin content helps them resist the frosts up to -30°C. Nowadays, the plant is also used to establish energy crops from which biomass is ob- tained for further processing, achieving an average energy of 96.2 MJ per hectare of plantation in Poland (average yield of dry matter obtained in experiment multiplied by accepted calori�c value for this species 15.93 MJ∙kg-1) (Podlaski et al., 2010). One of the many positive impacts on the environment is the low demand for phos- phorus in the aboveground parts of plants (0.05–0.15% DM), which reduces the risk of water eutrophication in its environment (Kays, Nottingham, 2008). In addition, Antonkiewicz and Jasiewicz (2003) found that the plant exhibited heavy metal accu- mulation along with soil contamination level (respectively in decreasing order: Cd, Zn, Ni, Cu and Pb), which could be used in phytoremediation of degraded areas. �is plant, thanks to its similarity to the sun�ower, acts as a reservoir of pollen and nectar for bene�cial insects in the wild, especially in the late summer when there is no other source of food for them. Decorative, yellow �owers are used in bouquets and garden design. However, the cultivation of the Jerusalem artichoke also exhibits negative aspects. As a result of plants density and susceptibility to the fungal disease caused by Scle- rotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, there is a risk of a high volatility of dry matter yields. As Podlaski et al. (2010) pointed out, this variability can range from 2.7 to 9.7 t∙ha-1. It is a plant classi�ed according to Tokarska-Guzik et al. (2011, 2012) as an 99 The yield of Jerusalem artichoke plant H elianthus tuberosus L. grow n in various com binations of fertilisation – prelim inary research alien species with the status of invasive taxa. Rapidly spreading, and being stable in the environment by producing large amounts resistant to adverse environmental conditions with tubers that are deeply embedded in the soil. Material and methods �e study was based on a �eld experiment in 2016 at Experimental Station of Depart- ment of Agrotechnology and Agricultural Ecology at the University of Agriculture in Kraków, 50°05ʹ08.5ʹʹN; 19°51ʹ08.3ʹʹE. �e experimental area was on sandy soil with a pH of 6.36, the contain of total C-org 1.14% of DM (biochar was derived from conif- erous wood wastes, which contains: total C (77%), ash (5%) and volatile matter (18%); this fertiliser is attested by National Institute of Public Health-National Institute of Hygiene, No PZH/HT-3146/2016), N 0.13%, P2O5 31.00 and K2O 7.67 and Mg 8.10 mg 100g soil. Total precipitation between April and November was 55.3 mm, accord- ing to the long-period total precipitation on a level of 68.2 mm (1961–1990). �e average daily temperature was 13.5°C compared to the long-period mean temperature of 12°C (1961–1990). �e experiment was established as a factorial design with two factors (varieties and fertilisation) in a randomised complete block design with three replications. �e cv. Albik and cv. Rubik were cultivated in 5 combinations of fertilisation in 5 replications: (1) control object – without mineral fertilisation and biochar, (2) min- eral fertilisation NPK: 100:80:100 kg·ha-1, (3) biochar 10 t·ha-1, (4) biochar 10 t·ha-1 and NPK 100:80:100 kg·ha-1, and (5) biochar 5 t·ha-1 and NPK 50:40:50 kg·ha-1. Fer- tilisation was applied early in the spring prior to establishing the cultivation. Tubers were planted at 1 m spacing and at 0.5 m spacing between plants in a row. No pesti- cides were used in the crop. Tubers harvest was made at the end of November when the plant stems were already dried. For the measurement of morphological features, tubers of 2 randomly selected plants were taken from one row. �is is equivalent to 4 square meters per row. �e yield was obtained from 6 plants which were grown in the row. �e area of the plot was 18 square meters. Data was subjected to the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Means (n = 5) were sep- arated using HSD Tukey range test at the 0.05 signi�cance level. �e results discussed in this paper are a part of the long-term �eld experiment. Results and discussion �e applied various kinds of fertilisation in Jerusalem artichokes cultivation di�eren- tiated tubers yield (Tab. 1). Signi�cant di�erences in tuber yield between varieties were found. Higher yields were noted for the cv. Rubik. Signi�cant di�erences were also ob- Jo an na P uł a, A ng el ik a K lis zc z 100 served between the fertilisation objects, but only for the ‘Albik’ (Tab. 1). �e highest ef- fect of increasing yield was obtained using mineral fertilisation (Object 2) and biochar with a full dose of mineral fertilisers (Object 4). �e di�erence between the smallest and the largest yield was over 9 t (cv. Albik) and about 6 t (cv. Rubik). In case of the ‘Rubik’, there were no signi�cant di�erences in the yield of tubers between the kind of fertilisation. �e application of biochar (Objects 3 and 4) also signi�cantly a�ected the yield of tubers. �e cv. Albik also yielded worse under control conditions than the cv. Rubik. �e average yield of tubers for the cv. Albik was (regardless of fertilisation ob- jects) 24.11 t·ha-1 and for cv. Rubik 33.18 t·ha-1. According to Prośba-Białczyk (2007), the yield of tubers of these varieties of Jerusalem artichoke in favourable weather con- ditions without fertilisation and chemical protection can be about 40 t·ha-1. In that paper, one can also notice that cv. Albik yields better than cv. Rubik. �is is in contrast to the results obtained in this study, because the control object (without fertilisation) was 19.35 t·ha-1 for ‘Albik’ and 34.27 t·ha-1 for ‘Rubik’ (Tab. 1). According to applied fertilisation, cv. Albik produced on average smaller and more diversi�ed tubers than cv. Rubik (Tab. 1). Nevertheless, based on the statistical anal- ysis, no signi�cant di�erences were found between fertilisation objects and varieties. �e results show that the most optimum combination of fertilisation, where the larg- est biomass of tubers ‘Albik’ were recorded (Objects 3 and 4), and for ‘Rubik’ (Objects 3 and 5). Similar results according to the reduced doses of mineral fertilisation were obtained in the studies of Kocsis et al. (2007). During the evaluation of the number of tubers from one plant, signi�cant di�er- ences between varieties in the size of this parameter and some combination of fertilis- Tab. 1. Average tubers yield and the biomass of a single tuber of Helianthus tuberosus L. ‘Albik’ and ‘Rubik’ Objects Average tubers yield [t·ha-1] �e biomass of a single tuber [g] ‘Albik’ ‘Rubik’ ‘Albik’ ‘Rubik’ 1 19.35 a 17.45–20.30 34.27 b 30.35–36.35 37.31 a 32.00–52.00 49.14 a 33.66–58.46 2 28.45 b 24.35–34.45 32.07 b 23.35–40.15 43.68 a 34.67–56.00 53.22 a 20.40–65.60 3 22.32 a 19.05–25.70 34.13 b 33.95–34.25 44.31 a 13.16–62.11 54.74 a 30.24–83.48 4 27.85 b 19.20–33.60 35.68 b 27.85–40.45 44.61 a 17.46–65.93 51.49 a 33.71–72.50 5 22.57 a 15.95–26.95 29.75 b 25.45–32.40 43.94 a 19.46–56.36 55.48 a 34.50–75.50 S 24.11 a 33.18 b 42.77 a 52.81 b 1 – control object without mineral fertilisation and biochar, 2 – mineral fertilisation NPK: 100-80-100 kg·ha-1, 3 – biochar 10 t·ha-1, 4 – biochar 10 t·ha-1 and NPK, 5 – biochar (5 t·ha-1) and NPK 50-40-50 kg·ha-1, S – mean values; a, b – di�erent letters relate to the signi�cant di�erences according to Tukey test, n = 5, p = 0.05 101 ation were recorded (Fig. 1). In the case of the ‘Albik’ variety, the most favourable con- ditions for the development of tubers were the conditions where a full dose of mineral fertilisation (Object 2) and full dose of NPK with the addition of biochar (Object 4) were applied. Under these conditions, one plant produced, on average, from about 42 to more than 46 tubers. On the other objects these values ranged from 32 to about 36 tubers per plant. In turn, the ‘Rubik’ variety, in this experience, was di�erent from the ‘Albik’ variety. �e highest number of tubers (over 38) was from one plant, where only full biochar was used (Object 3). Conclusions Based on the �eld experiment, it was found that the addition of biochar derived from coniferous wood biomass could be useful in the fertilisation of the Jerusalem artichoke. �e yield of tubers and the morphological features of Helianthus tuberosus L. cv. Albik and cv. Rubik were varied and dependent on the fertilisation variants applied. In the studied conditions of the habitat for yields of the Jerusalem artichoke, the most e�ective were the fertilisation of the soil with a full dose of biochar and mineral fertilisation. Acknowledgements �e Research was �nanced by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland. Fig. 1. Number of tubers per one plant Helianthus tuberosus ‘Albik’ and ‘Rubik’: 1 – control object without mineral fertilisation and biochar, 2 – mineral fertilisation NPK: 100-80-100 kg·ha-1, 3 – biochar 10 t·ha-1, 4 – biochar 10 t·ha-1 and NPK, 5 – biochar (5 t·ha-1) and NPK 50-40-50 kg·ha-1, 6 – mean values; a, b – di�erent letters relate to the signi�cant di�erences according to HSD Tukey test, n = 5, p = 0.05 The yield of Jerusalem artichoke plant H elianthus tuberosus L. grow n in various com binations of fertilisation – prelim inary research Jo an na P uł a, A ng el ik a K lis zc z 102 References Antonkiewicz, J., Jasiewicz, Cz. (2003). Ocena przydatności topinamburu (Helianthus tuberosus L.) do �toremediacji gleby zanieczyszczonej Cd. Pb. Ni. Cu i Zn. Archiwum Ochrony Środowiska, 29(4), 81–87. [In Polish] Cieślik, E. (1998). Zawartość składników mineralnych w bulwach nowych odmian topinamburu (Helian- thus tuberosus L.). Zeszyty Naukowe AR im. H. Kołłątaja w Krakowie, 342, 23–30. [In Polish] Cieślik, E., Filipiak-Florkiewicz, A. (2000). Topinambur (Helianthus tuberosus L.) – możliwości wyko- rzystywania do produkcji żywności funkcjonalnej. Żywność. Nauka. Technologia. Jakość, 7(1), 73–81. [In Polish] Florkiewicz, A., Cieślik, E., Filipiak-Florkiewicz, A. (2007). Wpływ odmiany i terminu zbioru na skład chemiczny bulw topinamburu (Helianthus tuberosus L.). Żywność. Nauka. Technologia. Jakość, 3(52), 71–81. [In Polish] Jasińska, Z., Kotecki, A. (2003). Szczegółowa uprawa roślin. Tom 1. Wrocław: AXA, 383–392. [In Polish] Kays, S.J., Nottingham, S.F. (2008). Biology and chemistry of Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus L. CRC Press, 1–27. Kocsis, L., Kaul, H.-P., Praznik, W., Liebhard, P. (2007). Ein�uss des Erntetermins auf den Kraut- und Knollenertrag unterschiedlicher Sorten von ‘topinambur’ (Helianthus tuberosus L.) im semiariden Produktionsgebiet Österreichs. P�anzenbauwissenscha�en, 11(2), 67–76. [In German] Makowski, D. (2014). Topinambur – uniwersalna roślina. http://www.farmer.pl/produkcja-roslinna/ inne-uprawy/’topinambur’-8211-uniwersalna-roslina.51868.html [In Polish] Piskier, T. (2004). Topinambur – alternatywne źródło energii. Czysta energia, 12, 12–13. [In Polish] Podlaski, S., Chołuj, D., Wiśniewski, G. (2010). Produkcja biomasy z roślin energetycznych. Postępy Nauk Rolniczych, 2, 163–174. [In Polish] Prośba-Białczyk, U. (2007). Produkcyjność topinamburu (Helianthus tuberosus L.) uprawianego bez nawożenia. Fragmenta Agronomica (XXIV), 4(96), 106–112. [In Polish] Tokarska-Guzik,. B., Dajdok, Z., Zając, M., Zając, A., Urbisz, A., Danielewicz, W., Hołdyński, Cz. (2012). Rośliny obcego pochodzenia w Polsce ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem gatunków inwazyjnych. Warszawa: Generalna Dyrekcja Ochrony Środowiska, p. 197. [In Polish] Tokarska-Guzik, B., Dajdok, Z., Zając, M., Urbisz, A., Danielewicz, W. (2011). Identy�kacja i katego- ryzacja roślin obcego pochodzenia jako podstawa działań praktycznych. Acta Botanica Silesiaca, 6, 23–53. [In Polish] Abstract Jerusalem artichoke is a perennial plant, which originates from North America. Tubers are characterised by high nutritional and energy values and can therefore be a source of food for humans and animals. �e interest in tubers of Helianthus tuberosus L. in the diet of man is primarily due to the content of inulin and fructooligosaccharides, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids in them. In addition, it is a plant that is not demanding in agrotechnical conditions. Hence, the interest in cultivation this plant has increased. �e main objective of the experiment was to evaluate the e�ect of biochar on the average yield of tubers and some morphological characteristics of plants. �e study was conducted in conditions of a �eld experiment in 2016 at the Experimental Station of the University of Agriculture in Kraków. Two varieties: ‘Albik’ and ‘Rubik’, were grown in the experiment with di�erent fertilisation variants. Biochar from the coniferous wood indus- try and mineral fertilisers were used. �e ‘Rubik’ variety yields better than the ‘Albik’ variety under tested soil conditions, and the combined use of biochar and the basic dose of mineral fertilisation gives the best yields in the cultivation of Jerusalem artichoke. Key words: Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus L. cv. Albik, cv. Rubik, biochar, size and numbers of tubers Received: [2017.09.01] Accepted: [2017.11.13] 103 Plon słonecznika bulwiastego Helianthus tuberosus L. uprawianego w różnych kombinacjach nawozowych – badania wstępne Streszczenie Topinambur (słonecznik bulwiasty) Helianthus tuberosus L. to wieloletnia roślina, która pochodzi z Ameryki Północnej. Bulwy charakteryzują się wysokimi właściwościami odżywczymi, dlatego mogą być źródłem pożywienia dla człowieka i  paszą dla zwierząt. Ponadto wykorzystywane są jako biomasa do produkcji energii i  etanolu. Zastosowanie bulw w  diecie człowieka wynika przede wszystkim z  zawartości w  nich inuliny i fruktooligosacharydów, minerałów, witamin oraz aminokwasów. Jest to roślina o małych wyma- ganiach agrotechnicznych, stąd też w  ostatnich latach wzrasta zainteresowanie jej uprawą, zwłaszcza na glebach słabych. Głównym celem eksperymentu była ocena wpływu biowęgla na plon bulw i niektóre cechy morfologiczne topinamburu. Doświadczenie polowe przeprowadzono w 2016 roku w Stacji Doświadczal- nej Katedry Agrotechniki i Ekologii Rolniczej Uniwersytetu Rolniczego w Krakowie. Uprawiano dwie od- miany topinambura: ‘Albik’ i ‘Rubik’, przy zróżnicowanym nawożeniu: 1 – obiekt kontrolny bez nawożenia mineralnego i biowęgla, 2 – NPK: 100-80-100 kg∙ha-1, 3 – biowęgiel 10 t∙ha-1, 4 – biowęgiel 10 t∙ha-1 i NPK, 5 – biowęgiel (5 t∙ha-1) i NPK 50-40-50 kg∙ha-1. Na tle porównywanych obiektów nawozowych stwierdzono, że najlepszą kombinacją nawożenia w uprawie słonecznika bulwiastego było zastosowanie biowęgla wraz z nawozami mineralnymi. Słowa kluczowe: słonecznik bulwiasty, Helianthus tuberosus L. cv. Albik i cv. Rubik, biowęgiel, wielkość i liczba bulw Information on the authors Joanna Puła Her research is connected with agrotechnology in plant cultivation and plant ecology. Presently, she is interest in the use of the biomass of plants and other organic fertiliser like biochar in agriculture. Angelika Kliszcz She is focusing on enhancing the understanding of the in�uence of di�erent factors on soil structure and fertility. Particulary, she is investigating the interaction of plants with the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. She is also interested in organic methods of plant production and soil- enriching substances. The yield of Jerusalem artichoke plant H elianthus tuberosus L. grow n in various com binations of fertilisation – prelim inary research