Optimum harvest date of maize for biogas and silage purposes

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-125
Author(s):  
G. Hadi

The dry matter and moisture contents of the aboveground vegetative organs and kernels of four maize hybrids were studied in Martonvásár at five harvest dates, with four replications per hybrid. The dry matter yield per hectare of the kernels and other plant organs were investigated in order to obtain data on the optimum date of harvest for the purposes of biogas and silage production.It was found that the dry mass of the aboveground vegetative organs, both individually and in total, did not increase after silking. During the last third of the ripening period, however, a significant reduction in the dry matter content was sometimes observed as a function of the length of the vegetation period. The data suggest that, with the exception of extreme weather conditions or an extremely long vegetation period, the maximum dry matter yield could be expected to range from 22–42%, depending on the vegetation period of the variety. The harvest date should be chosen to give a kernel moisture content of above 35% for biogas production and below 35% for silage production. In this phenophase most varieties mature when the stalks are still green, so it is unlikely that transport costs can be reduced by waiting for the vegetative mass to dry.

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-62
Author(s):  
Vladimír Sitkey ◽  
Ján Gaduš ◽  
Ľubomír Kliský ◽  
Alexander Dudák

Abstract Energy variety of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) was grown in large-scale trials in order to verify the capability of its cultivation and use as a renewable energy source in a biogas plant. The possibility of biogas production using anaerobic co-fermentation of manure and amaranth silage was verified in the experimental horizontal fermentor of 5 m3 volume, working at mesophilic conditions of 38-40 °C. The goal of the work was also to identify the optimum conditions for growth, harvesting and preservation of amaranth biomass, to optimize biogas production process, and to test the residual slurry from digestion process as a high quality organic fertilizer. The average yield of green amaranth biomass was 51.66 t.ha-1 with dry matter content of 37%. Based on the reached results it can be concluded that amaranth silage, solely or together with another organic materials of agricultural origin, is a suitable raw material for biogas production.


1978 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. O. Iremiren ◽  
G. M. Milbourn

SummaryTotal dry-matter yield of maize silage rose asymptotically as density was increased up to 17 plants/m2. Over the range 11–17 plants/m2, which is generally higher than is used in the U.K., the increase in yield was 1–1·6 t dry matter/ha which can justify the higher seed cost and although there was no adverse affect on time of maturity the risk of lodging increased at the highest density. During the harvest period whilst whole crop dry-matter percentage was rising from 23 to 28%, the ear dry-matter content rose steadily from 29 to 35%, whereas the leaf and stem dry-matter content remained essentially constant and only dried out at a later stage after a frost.Caldera 535 had a higher leaf area index and net assimilation rate than the earlier variety Julia which it outyielded by 15%. The additional yield was mainly stem tissue and the greater vegetative production caused an 11-day delay in reaching the silage stage of maturity (25% crop D.M.). NO differences occurred between density treatments and varieties in the forage quality components considered, namely percentage drymatter digestibility, modified acid-detergent fibre, crude protein and ash. Thus in U.K. conditions, total dry-matter yield exerts an overriding influence on the yields per unit area of these quality constituents. This contrasts with reports from the U.S.A. in which a reduced grain/stover ratio adversely influences silage quality.Removal of the whole ear (including husk and rachis) at an early stage in ear development resulted in a 50% reduction in the final dry-matter yield. In the earless plants, leaf area and net assimilation rate was lower, but the dry-matter content of the leaves and stem was considerably higher, and a marked purple coloration developed indicative of excess starch concentration. These results emphasize the need in maize silage not only for an adequate leaf canopy, best obtained early in the growing season by using high planting density and subsequently by using late maturing varieties, but also for sufficient sink capacity in the ear as well as in the stem fraction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Vinicius Iank Bueno ◽  
Matheus Gonçalves Ribeiro ◽  
Fernando Alberto Jacovaci ◽  
Tamara Tais Três ◽  
Guilherme Fernando Mattos Leão ◽  
...  

Abstract This study evaluated dry matter yield and nutritional characteristics of different oat genotypes (Avena spp.) for ensiling. Treatments consisted of genotypes of white oat IPR 126 (Avena sativa), black oat Cabocla IPR and Agrocoxilha (Avena strigosa), and BRS Madrugada and BRS Centauro (Avena vertis). Oats were harvested at the phenological stage of milk/dough grain. The design was a completely randomized block scheme, with five treatments and three replications per treatment. The IPR Cabocla genotype showed the highest dry matter content (before and after silo opening) and in vitro dry matter digestibility of fresh forage. No differences were observed for in vitro dry matter digestibility and dry matter losses among silages. The highest silage digestible dry matter yield (kg ha-1) was observed for the BRS Centauro genotype. Thus, despite the better nutritional quality presented by the IPR Cabocla genotype before ensiling, BRS Centauro genotype presented a higher yield of digestible dry matter per hectare.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maghsoud Besharati ◽  
Valiollah Palangi ◽  
Zabihollah Nemati ◽  
Rashid Safari ◽  
Abdelfattah Z. M. Salem

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of adding various levels of waste sour lemon pomace to lucerne on the properties and ruminal gas production of silage. Levels of 0 (Control), 25 (L1), 50 (L2), 75 (L3), and 100 (L4) % lemon pomace were replaced by lucerne for silage preparation and silenced for 60 days. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications (3 silos per treatment). After opening the silos, pH and dry matter were measured immediately, and the dried samples were kept at -20 until further tests. The silage pH decreased with the addition of lemon pomace compared to the control (p < 0.05). Total silage volatile fatty acids and dry matter content increased with adding lemon pomace. The results of gas production also showed that lemon pomace increased the in vitro gas production volume. Adding lemon pomace to lucerne silage due to the high pectin content in these agricultural wastes caused a rapid decrease of silage pH and an acidic environment. It prevented the growth of non-beneficial bacterial species. The obtained data showed that waste sour lemon has a good potential to use as a livestock feedstuff that can be useful in reducing the cost of ruminant production and preventing environmental pollution.


1968 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Foster ◽  
C. E. Wright

SummeryThree sampling experiments were conducted to examine the effect of sample size and sampling intensity on the precision of dry-matter content and botanical composition estimates of perennial rye-grass-white clover herbage. One of these experiments examined the between-sample variability of these attributes and of dry-matter yield in relation to other sources of experimental error in a small-plot sward trial. The sample sizes examined were 800 g, 400 g, 200 g, 100 g, 50 g and 25 g green weight. In general the accuracy of dry-matter content and botanical composition estimates decreased with decreasing sample size. The between-sample variabilities of 25 g and 50g samples were high in relation to their between-plot variabilities. Single 100 g samples provided reasonably good estimates of these attributes and of dry-matter yield, but single 200 g samples provided a more satisfactory margin for error. Samples larger than 200 g appeared to be unnecessary. When weight-for-weight comparisons of single and duplicate samples were made there appeared to be little advantage in duplicate sampling. A theoretical examination of measurement inaccuracies inherent in the techniques used in small-plot sward trialssuggested that variation in plot length measurements in particular may make an undesirable contribution to the variability of such trials. A procedure for the conduct of small-plot trials is recommended. It is concluded that, where plot size and replication are limited, further improvement in the precision of such trials will not be readily attainable.


2007 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 975-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Király ◽  
P. Czövek

Morchella steppicola Zerova mycelia was grown on modified MS (MSK) medium and on MSK medium containing different malt content. Starvation induced an enhanced pseudosclerotium formation in a given zone of the culture. The malondialdehyde content of the mycelium at the site of pseudosclerotium formation was related to the acceleration of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase activity was monitored in control and stressed vegetative hyphae subjected to malt withdrawal. In the formation zone of resting bodies, an enhanced oxidative burst was observed. The glucose and trehalose contents of M. steppicola mycelium during pseudosclerotium formation were also investigated. The glucose concentration of the mycelia approached a minimum during pseudosclerotium formation. At the same time, trehalose concentration reached a maximum in the zone of pseudosclerotium formation. The dry mass of mycelia in these zones was higher than average. The dry matter content of the pseudosclerotium-forming zones significantly exceeded the average of the whole culture. The correlation among trehalose accumulation, oxidative burst, and pseudosclerotium formation was clearly demonstrated.


1989 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. I. Orphanos ◽  
C. Metochis

SUMMARYTopping of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants (removal of the inflorescence) is not practised in Cyprus. Two field experiments were carried out at Akhelia Station, in 1985 and 1986, to test whether topping increased the yield or improved leaf quality of flue-cured tobacco grown under different types of irrigation. In contrast to the results of other studies, topping when the corolla had appeared on half the flowers did not increase yield. Topping when the inflorescence was just clear of the leaves (21 leaves harvested from topped plants v. 32 leaves from untopped plants) increased fresh yield by 7·0% but dry matter yield by 18·0%. The effects of topping were more marked on the leaves reaped at the third and fourth harvests, which constituted 52% of the fresh yield or 60% of the dry matter yield. At these harvests, leaves from topped plants had a lower percentage of midrib material (18·5 v. 21·0%) than leaves from untopped plants but a higher dry matter content (19·2 v. 17·2%) and specific leaf weight (80·0 v. 56·0 g/m2). Leaves of the fourth harvest from topped plants (27% of the total fresh yield) contained appreciably more nicotine (1·34%) than leaves from untopped plants (0·40%) but had a similar content of reducing sugars (20%). Topping did not influence the N, P and K contents of the leaves.Irrigation increased fresh yield from 12·0 t/ha (225 mm water) to 24·0 t/ha (450 mm water) and dry matter yield from 2·0 to 3·8 t/ha, respectively, in Expt 1.As Cypriot tobacco growers are paid for fresh yield delivered to the curing plant, the marginal increase of fresh yield with topping will hardly cover the cost of the extra operations involved.


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