Similarities in Location-Eztquitable, Efficient and Sustainable Maize Cultivation for Energy and Fodder, as well as to the Production of Maize Grains | Gemeinsamkeiten im standortgerechten, effizienten und nachhaltigen Maisanbau für Energie- und Futterzwecke sowie zur Produktion von Körnermais

In the maturation process of silage maize, the silage maize ripeness index is a valuable indicator of the phenology of maturation, stress and selection in the cultivation of maize for all purposes; it also provides summary information to characterise and quantify local maturation, cultivation and environmental conditions, the variety based on maturity, suitability for the location, as well as phenotypic stability of the performance of the variety and its resistance. The goal is to identify a selection of maize varieties out of a very narrow range that is based on technically sound information and which is exclusively suited to the efficient and sustainable cultivation in local conditions of premium environmentally stable varieties with different maturity times for all uses and which also takes into account the consequences of climate change.The requirements for maize varieties for all applications that are environmentally stable as a basic prerequisite for high quality and yields are similar to those for achieving the reference ripeness point (SRI of 2.8) as the interface between economics and ecology. The requirements are somewhat lower for biogas maize and are highest for the production of maize silage for milk production. Maize varieties for the production of grain and for fattening cattle impose equivalent requirements in terms of environmental stability and lie somewhere between those for gas and milk. Because the differences between the uses are only marginal, maize silage can be taken from a single silo even in operations with several production chains. In specialised operations, the SRI specification should be both helpful and recommendable.In every respect, too much is expected of the current maturation system, with DM content of the whole plant that is only of limited informational value, in order to make possible this previous classification and assessment of phenotypic stability of the performance of all maize varieties, uses and locations of maize cultivation. It remains to be seen whether intensive breeding activities in highly varying local RAU conditions will translate into highly differing breeding objectives for the individual uses taking into consideration the four key problems and main goals in maize cultivation and with respect to the climate change that is currently underway and to be expected in the future.