Biomass production of selected grassland, wetland and cropland vegetation communities

Abstract

Biomass production is a generally well-studied phenomenon but it often only focuses on simple habitats such as monodominant wetland communities. Information on aboveground biomass production of various managed and unmanaged communities was necessary for a research project called the “Minimization of Radioactive Contamination Impacts on the Landscape in the Emergency Planning Zone of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant” to create growth models of selected plant communities to estimate the amount of biomass potentially contaminated by radiation in case of a nuclear power plant accident. In the present paper we introduce the results of biomass sampling carried out in the vegetation season of 2013 and compare it with the previously published data. Especially the curve shapes could be well compared where the relevant data was found in literature, namely in the case of monodominant wetland communities. In cases where the data on seasonal production was not available (e.g. Filipendula stands) the peak values were compared and found to correspond well, too. There was no relevant published data to be found for 9 stand types (some rich-in-species grasslands and crops); together with detailed description of the sampled stands the original data on the aboveground biomass production is published for the first time.