• PDF / 594,950 Bytes
• 8 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
• 14 Downloads / 228 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT

---

Nitrogen and Tillage Management Affect Corn Cellulosic Yield, Composition, and Ethanol Potential Aaron J. Sindelar & John A. Lamb & Jeffrey A. Coulter & Craig C. Sheaffer & Jeffrey A. Vetsch

# Springer Science+Business Media New York (outside the USA) 2015

Abstract Corn (Zea mays L.) stover and cobs remaining after grain harvest can serve as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. Field trials were conducted at two locations in Minnesota over three years to determine how corn cellulosic yield composition and ethanol yield are influenced by tillage system [chisel tillage (CT), strip-tillage (ST), and no-tillage (NT)] and fertilizer N rate (0, 45, 90, 134, 179, and 234 kg N ha−1). Stover biomass yield, C and N concentrations and content, and potential ethanol yield increased with increasing fertilizer N rate. Stover biomass yield, C content, and potential cellulosic ethanol yield were less with NT than CT and ST by ≥9, 8, and 8 %, respectively. Theoretical ethanol yield of stover was maximized at a fertilizer N rate lower than the economically optimum N rate (EONR) for grain yield. Cob biomass yield, C concentration and content, N concentration, and potential ethanol yield increased with fertilizer N rate, but not at the same magnitude observed for stover. Till-

A. J. Sindelar (*) Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 137 Keim Hall, UNL-East Campus, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA e-mail: [email protected] J. A. Lamb Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, 439 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA J. A. Coulter : C. C. Sheaffer Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA J. A. Vetsch Southern Research and Outreach Center, University of Minnesota, 35838 120th Street, Waseca, MN 56093, USA

age system did not influence cob biomass yield, C and N concentrations and content, or potential ethanol yield. These results demonstrate that biomass and ethanol production of stover and cobs can be affected by N and tillage management. Cobs may be a more viable feedstock option than stover because nearly all measured variables were less sensitive to management and their harvest removes less C and N from a field compared to full harvest of combined cobs and stover. Keywords Cellulosic ethanol . Corn . Nitrogen . Stover . Tillage

Introduction Crop residues such as corn stover and cobs and dedicated energy crops are expected to serve as feedstock for biofuel production in order to reduce reliance on petroleum [1]. The use of corn cellulosic material for ethanol production also may alleviate reliance on corn grain use for fuel production [2]. The Upper Midwest has been identified as a potential source of corn cellulosic material for bioenergy production because of widespread production of corn and lesser environmental constraints to harvest of corn cellulosic material when compared to other areas of the USA [3]. Continuous corn cropping systems