Willows for environmental projects: A literature review of results on evapotranspiration rate and its driving factors across the genus Salix

Abstract

Willows are increasingly used for a wide range of environmental projects, including biomass production, leachate treatment, riparian buffers and treatment wetlands. Evapotranspiration (ET), assumed to be high for most willow species used in environmental projects, affects hydrological cycles and is of key interest for project managers working with willows. Here, we present a comprehensive review of ET rates provided in the literature for the genus Salix. We aim to summarize current knowledge of willow ET and analyze its variability depending on context. We compiled and analyzed data from 57 studies, covering 16 countries, 19 willow species and dozens of cultivars. We found a mean reported ET rate of 4.6 ± 4.2 mm/d, with minimum and maximum values of 0.7 and 22.7 mm/d respectively. Although results reported here varied significantly between some species, overall interspecific standard deviation (±3.6 mm/d) was similar to intraspecific variation (±3.3 mm/d) calculated for S. viminalis, suggesting a greater influence of the growing context on ET than species identity. In terms of environmental and management variables, water supply, fertilization and contamination were identified as driving factors of ET across willow species. Effects of root age, experimental context, planting density and soil type were more nuanced. Our findings provide synthetic data regarding willow ET. We encourage practitioners who use ET data from the literature to be aware of the main drivers of ET and to consider the influence of the experimental aspects of a study in order to interpret data accurately and improve project planning.

Keywords: Evapotranspiration variability; Irrigation planning; Water loss; Water use; Wetland design; Willow coppicing.