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This research was focused on a production potential of cup plant Silphium perfoliatum L. grown in marginal heavy soils with the following intensity of mineral nutrition: (i) intensive 245.0 kg/ha NPK, (ii) semi-intensive 122.5 kg/ha NPK and (iii) untreated control 0.0 kg/ha NPK. The large-scale pilot field experiments with ÓVÁRI-ÓRIÁS cultivar were carried out on 2 sites under semi-humid to humid Central European temperate climate during 4 years. Overall, it was achieved 13.59 t/ha of dry matter yield on average and the yields varied from 2.37 t/ha to 42.56 t/ha. During the three productive years (2018 – 2020) the crop yield was affected mainly by years (F-ratio 70.67, P-value 0.00), then by nutrition (F-ratio 30.50, P-value 0.00), followed by sites (F-ratio 1.92, P-value 0.17) and finally by replications (F-ratio 0.00, P-value 1.00). In general, cup plant productivity was increasing by a higher number of utility years and similarly, by increasing of nutrition intensity. Although the effect of the sites seems to be almost negligible, the present study does not include sites with arid or semi-arid climate, where the crop productivity may be completely different, especially if the soils are easy soils with an already drying water regime. This study focused on cup plant is probably one of first original research papers published as study based on large-scale experiments conducted in Slovakia, the crop is recognized as suitable perennial crop for energy as other purposes and therefore further agronomic as follow-up studies are needed.

The aim of study was to determine ligno-cellulose quality and calorific value of cup plant Silphium perfoliatum L., whereas impact of nutrition, years and sites on the quality were evaluated as main effects within a huge pilot field experiment. Two complete data sets of acid-detergent fiber (ADF), acid-detergent lignin (ADL), crude cellulose (CE), hemicellulose (HEM), neutral-detergent fiber (NDF) and high heating value (HHV) were evaluated, a primary one in terms of quality content and a secondary one in terms of quality yield. Average, minimal and maximal ADF content was 43.73 – 31.32 – 48.94%, ADL 10.22 – 7.21 – 12.54%, CE 33.51 – 24.11 – 37.30%, HEM 4.17 – 2.33 – 5.75%, NDF 48.12 – 34.94 – 54.69% and HHV 15.83 – 15.21 – 16.79 MJ/kg, respectively. Adequate values of ADF yield was 5.461 – 1.021 – 20.827 t/ha, ADL 1.274 – 0.235 – 5.115 t/ha, CE 4.187 – 0.786 – 15.112 t/ha, HEM 0.569 – 0.055 – 2.447 t/ha, NDF 6.041 – 1.139 – 23.273 t/ha and HHV 195.528 – 36.481 – 704.914 GJ/ha, respectively. Ligno-cellulose quality and calorific value of cup plant vary with environment and management practices. In terms of quality content, the influence of the sites was generally the most significant (valid for ADF, ADL, CE and NDF), or alternately with the influence of the years (HEM and HHV) it was higher than a medium influence of the nutrition. In terms of quality yield the years has been confirmed the most important factor (mainly because great increasing of phytomass yield by utility year of that perennial crop), followed by nutrition and then by sites with the least impact, whereas that impact order was valid for each of parameter.