Nitrogen fertilization is one of the greatest challenges associated with the production of biofuel from corn grain. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of N fertilization on the content and yiel...Nitrogen fertilization is one of the greatest challenges associated with the production of biofuel from corn grain. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of N fertilization on the content and yield of oil, protein, and starch in corn grain. The project was done in Southeast Missouri （USA）, from 2007 to 2009 in a silt loam soil. Corn grain contains 3.8-4.2% oil, 6.7%-8.9% protein, 68.0%-70.4% extractable starch, and 76.0%-77.7% total starch. The total starch yield ranged from 2.8 to 7.8 mg.ha1 whereas the extractable starch varied between 2.5 to 7.1 mg-ha1. As the N rate went up, the oil and starch content of the grain decreased, whereas the protein content and the protein, starch, and oil yields increased, reaching their maximum at the N rate corresponding to 179.0 kg N.ha~. The potential ethanol yield varied between 616.2 and 7,035.1 L-ha1 depending on the method of conversion of the starch into ethanol, the year and the N rate （P 〈 0.0001）. The negative correlation between N fertilization rate and starch content suggested that when farmers add too much N to their soil to increase grain yield, they reduce the starch content in those grains, and consequently the conversion into bioethanol. Therefore, for biofuel production to be beneficial for both farmers and the power plant owners, an agreement needs to be made with regard to the use of fertilizers.展开更多
文摘Nitrogen fertilization is one of the greatest challenges associated with the production of biofuel from corn grain. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of N fertilization on the content and yield of oil, protein, and starch in corn grain. The project was done in Southeast Missouri （USA）, from 2007 to 2009 in a silt loam soil. Corn grain contains 3.8-4.2% oil, 6.7%-8.9% protein, 68.0%-70.4% extractable starch, and 76.0%-77.7% total starch. The total starch yield ranged from 2.8 to 7.8 mg.ha1 whereas the extractable starch varied between 2.5 to 7.1 mg-ha1. As the N rate went up, the oil and starch content of the grain decreased, whereas the protein content and the protein, starch, and oil yields increased, reaching their maximum at the N rate corresponding to 179.0 kg N.ha~. The potential ethanol yield varied between 616.2 and 7,035.1 L-ha1 depending on the method of conversion of the starch into ethanol, the year and the N rate （P 〈 0.0001）. The negative correlation between N fertilization rate and starch content suggested that when farmers add too much N to their soil to increase grain yield, they reduce the starch content in those grains, and consequently the conversion into bioethanol. Therefore, for biofuel production to be beneficial for both farmers and the power plant owners, an agreement needs to be made with regard to the use of fertilizers.
