Influence of Corn Residue Harvest Management on Grain, Stover, and Energy Yields

Single - Pass , Split - Stream Harvest of Corn Grain and Stover

A grain combine was equipped with a whole-plant corn head and modified to produce single-pass, whole-plant corn harvesting with two crop streams: grain and stover. Capture of potential stover DM varied from 48% to 89% for leaves, from 49% to 92% for stalks, and was greater than 90% for husks and cobs, depending on corn head height. Stover aggregate moisture varied between 36% and 50% (w.b.), an...

Long-term corn grain and stover yields as a function of tillage and residue removal in east central Minnesota

Because the adoption of conservation tillage requires long-term evaluation, the effect of tillage and residue management on corn (Zea mays L.) grain and stover yields was studied for 13 seasons in east central Minnesota. Three primary tillage methods (no-till (NT), fall chisel plow (CH), fall moldboard plow (MB)) and two residue management schemes (residue removal versus residue returned) were ...

Sustainability of Corn Stover Harvest for Biomass

Comparison of wet and dry corn stover harvest and storage

Corn stover has great potential as a biomass feedstock, but harvest and storage of this material is challenged by weather conditions at harvest; material moisture; and equipment shortcomings. Field drying characteristics, harvest efficiency and rate, product bulk density, and storage characteristics were quantified for stover harvested and stored in wet or dry form. Only in one case did stover ...

Optimizing harvest of corn stover fractions based on overall sugar yields following ammonia fiber expansion pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis

BACKGROUND Corn stover composition changes considerably throughout the growing season and also varies between the various fractions of the plant. These differences can impact optimal pretreatment conditions, enzymatic digestibility and maximum achievable sugar yields in the process of converting lignocellulosics to ethanol. The goal of this project was to determine which combination of corn sto...