The evaluation of maize genotypes for potential use in cellulosic ethanol production

TL;DRAbstract

Corn cobs are a promising feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production, but little is known about dry matter and ethanol yields of corn cobs. This study was conducted to determine yield and quality characteristics of corn cobs and to make predictions of potential ethanol yields. Fifty diverse maize genotypes were evaluated for cob yield and analyzed for cob quality traits in three replications of a randomized complete block experiment, over two years and two central Iowa locations. Quality traits included cellulose (ADF-ADL), hemicellulose (NDF-ADF) and lignin (ADL). From these quality traits, estimates of pentose and hexose sugars were calculated, which were used to estimate theoretical ethanol potential (l t) (TEP). On average, the hybrids yielded 1.3 t ha of cob dry matter, ranging from 0.8 t ha to 1.8 t ha of cob dry matter. Cobs accounted for 14%, 17%, and 8% of the total ear, total nongrain above ground biomass, and total dry matter portions of the plant, respectively. Significant

Chat with Paper

AI Agents for this Paper