to increasing total energy content through (i) increasing the contribution of grain and (ii) increasing the digestMaize (Zea mays L.) silage is a high-quality forage for ruminants, ibility of the stover. Much of the variation in forage dibut there have been few significant breeding efforts specifically dedicated to improving maize forage yield or quality by breeders in the gestibility can be ac...

A field experiment was conducted in the 1998 dry season at Kadawa, Nigeria to determine the effect of different levels of nitrogen (0, 60, 120 or 180 kg N ha ), phosphorus (0, 20 or 40 kg P ha ) and irrigation 1 1 (0.6, 0.8 or 1.0 IW/CPE ratio) on nutrient concentration and accumulation in maize. The experiment was a split plot design with four replications, the main plot was nitrogen level x i...

Carbohydrates stored in vegetative organs, particularly stems, of grasses are a very important source of energy. We examined carbohydrate accumulation in adult sorghum and maize hybrids with distinct phenology and different end uses (grain, silage, sucrose or sweetness in stalk juice, and biomass). Remarkable variation was observed for non-structural carbohydrates and structural polysaccharides...

Maize is grown in large quantities for nutritional purpose; its agricultural by-product is the corn stover, which is usually unused. Because of its high abundance and high cellulose content, it is a promising substrate for biogas production. However, this cellulose-rich biomass is not used in anaerobic fermentors today, due to its insolubility. It forms a solid crust at the top of the liquid ph...

Biofuels such as bioethanol are becoming a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Utilizing agricultural biomass for the production of biofuel has drawn much interest in many science and engineering disciplines. As one of the major crops, maize offers promise in this regard. Compared to other crops with biofuel potential, maize can provide both starch (seed) and cellulosic (stover) material for bi...

We investigated potential use of prairie as a Midwestern cellulosic feedstock by conducting a 9 ha side-by-side comparison of maizeand prairie-based systems on fertile soils in Boone County Iowa, USA. Investigated systems were: maize-soybean rotation grown for grain only, continuous maize grown for grain and stover both with and without a winter rye cover crop, and a 31-species reconstructed pr...

In vitro studies were undertaken to develop an appropriate fibrolytic enzymes cocktail comprising of cellulase, xylanase and β-D-glucanase for maize stover with an aim to increase its nutrient utilization in sheep. Cellulase and xylanase added individually to ground maize stover at an increasing dose rates (0, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600, 3,200, 6,400, 12,800, 25,600, 32,000, 38,400, and 44,800 I...

Nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertility management of maize (Zea mays L.) in the humid subtropical Mississippi Delta may differ from a temperate climate because of its use in rotation with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), soil temperatures rarely falling to 08C, and heavy winter rains that facilitate nutrient losses. An experiment to determine the [N] (concentration 1⁄4 [ ]), phosphorus [P], [K...

The previous chapters focused on first generation biofuels. In this chapter we focus on second generation biofuels, specifically biofuels derived from cellulosic or lignocellulosic conversion. Advocates for the development of cellulosic conversion believe that second generation technology avoids many of the adverse consequences of first generation biofuels: it does not directly compete for food...

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