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Weed Seed Survival during Anaerobic Digestion in Biogas Plants

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Abstract

Anaerobic digestion using animal manure and crop biomass is increasingly being used to produce biogas as a durable alternative to fossil fuel. The sludge, the leftover after processing, is returned to the field as a crop fertilizer. If weed seeds survive anaerobic digestion, the use of contaminated sludge poses a phytosanitary risk. The conditions that seeds are likely to encounter in biogas plants, and the effect of these, in particular temperature, on seed viability were reviewed. Knowledge on seed defence mechanisms and how these might protect seeds from inactivation in biogas reactors was summarized. Mechanisms of seed inactivation can be classified as thermal, biological and chemical. Weed species with hard seeds (physical dormant), high thermoresistance, a thick seed coat or adapted to endozoochory were identified as high-risk species. Specific seed traits could be used in future tests to circumvent extensive testing of seeds in biogas reactors.

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Acknowledgment

This study was made possible with the financial support of the German Agency for Renewable Resources (Fachagentur für Nachwachsende Rohrstoffe e.V.; Bundesministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz (= German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection)), project No. 22028408‚ ‘Untersuchungen zum phytosanitären Risiko durch die anaerobe Vergärung von pflanzlichen Biomassen in Biogasanlagen; Teilvorhaben 2.’

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  1. Group Crop Health, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Satower Str. 48, 18059, Rostock, Germany

    Paula R. Westerman & Bärbel Gerowitt

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  1. Paula R. Westerman
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Correspondence to Paula R. Westerman.

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Westerman, P.R., Gerowitt, B. Weed Seed Survival during Anaerobic Digestion in Biogas Plants. Bot. Rev. 79, 281–316 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-013-9118-7

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