Maize production for biogas in Latvia
2012
Bartusevics, J., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia). Faculty of Agriculture. Inst. of Agrobiotechnology | Gaile, Z., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia). Faculty of Agriculture. Inst. of Agrobiotechnology
Anaerobic digestion is becoming more popular in producing biogas. Nowadays biogas production is traditionally based on biomasses such as manure, sewage sludge and industrial waste, but during recent years, in many countries, the use of energy crops as agricultural substrate has increased. One of the most used substrate for biogas production in European countries is maize. Researchers have mentioned that key factors for a maximum biogas yield from maize are selected hybrid, time of harvesting, type of conservation and pretreatment of the biomass. Also the nutrient composition of the energy crop is important. The paper aimed to evaluate impact of hybrid, harvest time and agro-meteorological condition on maize biomass production for biogas. A field trial was carried out in the Research and Study farm “Vecauce” of the Latvia University of Agriculture (LLU) from 2008 till 2011. Ten (in 2008), eleven (in 2009) and fifteen (in 2010 and 2011) maize hybrids with different maturity ratings according to FAO numbers (FAO 180–340) were harvested at three different times beginning on 5 September at fourteen-day intervals. Composition of fresh maize was analyzed for all hybrids using standard methods. Results were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, correlation and descriptive statistics. Results showed that harvest time effect on maize organic dry matter (ODM) content and yield was substantial (p is less than 0.05) in all years. The highest average ODM yield in all years was reached when maize was harvested at the last harvest time. The influence of maize hybrid, vegetation period and hybrid on average ODM yield was substantial (p is less than 0.05).
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