SURPLUS Separation of weeds during harvesting and hygienisation to enhance crop productivity in the long term

Report 2019. Project objectives: The project aimed to reduce weed infestation and the need of herbicide application in favor of alternative processes. The technological concepts of Sweedhart were separated into 3 pillars: Pillar 1: Hygienisation of chaff during harvesting; Pillar 2: Total harvest of a big biomass potential that is unused so far and Pillar 3: Partial harvest. In the Pillars 2 and 3, the usability of the by-products for material and feed use was investigated by NTNU. Chaff can be processed to supplementary feed for some livestock. NTNU was investigating the suitability of chaff for this purpose. Chaff is potentially a source of bio actives and highly added value compounds. An analysis of valuable and extractable components opens up further value intensification. NTNU investigated added value of chaff via NMR technique and statistical analysis. During the reported period NTNU was working on: 1. During our previous work within the project we found several important added value compounds in different parts of the wheat: straw, wheatears, leaves and chaff. Our finding reveals that chaff can be an important source of the industry relevant compounds. To extend our knowledge about nutritional value of crops co-streams we decided to assess the nutritional values of chaff from other crops. We determined metabolic composition of chaff from 3 crops: wheat, oat and barley. 25 metabolites were detected, quantified and compared in differently treated chaff: amino acids (Val, Ile, Ala, Phe etc.); organic acids (acetic, succinic, formic, etc.); alcohols, sugars and quaternary ammonium (choline and betaine). Despite the fact that all the studied chaff contain a similar set of metabolites, their concentrations significantly differ between species. Wheat chaff has a high content of glutamate, alanine and leucine. Barley chaff has significantly higher concentration of leucine. Oat chaff has a higher amount of the important organic acids: malate, succinate and fumarate. In our previous report we described the presence of the high added value compounds choline and betaine in wheat chaff. Our additional studies reveal that other types of chaff also contain important amount of these compounds. Barley and wheat chaff contain similar amount of choline (0,015 and 0,017 g/kg, respectively). Oat contains three times less. Interesting results were found for barley ? the amount of betaine in its chaff is 3 or 2,5 times higher than in wheat and oat (0,18; 0,06; 0,08 g/kg, respectively). Summarizing: wheat and barley chaff have a better content of essential amino acids; barley is a better source of betaine and oat provide higher amount of important organic acids (malate, succinate and fumarate). These finding might be used for further development of chaff processing for the value creation or in its use as a food/feed additive. 2. We used multivariate analysis for statistical untargeted description of the 3 types of chaff. For that, NMR data were used as an input for Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Distinct grouping of wheat, barley and chaff samples shows the similarity of the nutritional properties within each type of chaff and significant differences between the crops. These data are important for the further uses of chaff. Since chaff processing plants need a raw material (chaff) of the known quality for the value extraction, the developed statistical description of the chaff metabolome can be used for the evaluation of the quality of the raw material. 3. In our previous research we developed statistical model of different co-streams of the wheat (chaff, straw, wheatears). These models allow to detect the presence of the unwanted weeds within the fraction that can be left on the field. Developed models were used for the detection of the weeds like black grass or raps seeds in chaff. 4. During the last 2018 project meeting that took place at NTNU (Trondheim) we agreed with the project partners that we will continue to communicate within the project during 2019 (besides the research work to be performed by each team) either by e-mail or by Skype. Indeed, several meetings and contacts between the project partners happened during 2019. These contacts helped to finish the accomplished work within the project by each partner and prepare the suitable reports to the respective funding agencies and prepare the project leaflet for FACCE (the leaflet is attached to the Word report). 5. NTNU team during the reported period was also working on preparation of the two manuscripts based the project results: ?Assessment of glyphosate turnover within wheat using NMR spectroscopy?. Another manuscript ?Assessment of nutritional values of barley, oat and wheat chaff by NMR spectroscopy ? based on the reported above data about NMR metabolic studies of different chaffs and their statistical elaboration are currently in preparation. Presently these manuscripts are under the preparation after comments of the colleagues.

The project was accomplished in a full agreement to the original application. The project activities were performed both on the lab scale and during performed field studies. The obtained results were disseminated through the reported publications and the relevant research conferences. The project outcomes have impact both at academia, agricultural business and relevant stakeholder?s levels.

During last years weed pollution of fields becomed an increasing problem. Use of herbicides is main method to control weeds but the existing herbicides become more ineffective due to evolution and spread of herbicide resistant weeds. Alternatives to design new herbicides are depleted leading to new weed problems worldwide. Thus it is crucial to solve the problem of weed infestation that poses threat to food security. Sweedhart tackles this problem by study alternative concepts to reduce fields weed pollution without herbicide use, and to increase biomass production using chaff. 25% of all biomass in crop production is chaff and usually it remains unused after harvesting. This fraction contains huge amounts of mature and vigor weed seeds; notwithstanding it is returned to fields without treatment despite its usability for energetic and material purposes. This procedure provides next generation of abundant weeds on fields. One concept of Sweedhart is to thermally disinfect weed seeds during harvesting by machine internal waste heat from the harvester exhaust gases to inhibit germination ability. Sweedhart scrutinizes the viability and dimension of impact mitigation from weed pollution control. Further concepts will study innovative handling of chaff to reduce fields weed pollution. This will encompass options for chaff collection, its removal from the field, and studies on chances for further chaff use. The project supposes chaff use in energetic processes, as material and as potential feed source. Using it for energetic purposes as renewable source, CO2-emissions can be reduced.The project outcome will provide catalogue of successful, sustainable measures to hamper field weed pollution to counteract growing problems of herbicide resistant, invasive weeds. At the same time, the measures include significant potential to intensify sustainably agriculture in gaining new biomass fractions for energetic, material or feed use to follow the route towards a bio-based economy.