The Renewable Energy Source Act (EEG) promotes German biogas production in order to substitute fossil fuels, protect the environment, and prevent climate change. As a consequence, green maize production has increased significantly over the last years, causing negative environmental effects on soil, water and biodiversity. In this paper we quantitatively analyse the EEG-reform in 2012 by applyin...

Drought represents a major constraint on maize production worldwide. Understanding the genetic basis for natural variation in drought tolerance of maize may facilitate efforts to improve this trait in cultivated germplasm. Here, using a genome-wide association study, we show that a miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) inserted in the promoter of a NAC gene (ZmNAC111) is signifi...

Maize diversity is widespread in Mexico and it has been stewarded by campesinos in small communities until the present. With the arrival of transgenic maize, the objective of this study is to analyze possible scenarios that could result if genetically modified maize were not regulated and openly available in Mexico. By applying a simple logistic model based on the conditions of maize production...

Corn is the cereal with the highest production worldwide and is used for human consumption, livestock feed, and fuel. Various food technologies are currently used for processing industrially produced maize flours and corn meals in different parts of the world to obtain precooked refined maize flour, dehydrated nixtamalized flour, fermented maize flours, and other maize products. These products ...

At this time, no "magic bullet" for solving the aflatoxin contamination problem in maize and cottonseed has been identified, so several strategies must be utilized simultaneously to ensure a healthy crop, free of aflatoxins. The most widely explored strategy for the control of aflatoxin contamination is the development of preharvest host resistance. This is because A. flavus infects and produce...

This scientific opinion reports on an evaluation of a risk assessment for placing on the market the genetically modified insect resistant and herbicide tolerant maize Bt11xGA21 for food and feed uses, import and processing. Conventional breeding methods were used in the production of maize Bt11xGA21 from inbred lines of the respective parental events. The structural integrity of the inserts in ...

BACKGROUND The use of energy crops and agricultural residues is expected to increase to fulfil the legislative demands of bio-based components in transport fuels. Ensiling methods, adapted from the feed sector, are suitable storage methods to preserve fresh crops throughout the year for, for example, biogas production. Various preservation methods, namely ensiling with and without acid addition...

1. Research Framework and Objectives Ghana is about 99% self-sufficient in the production of maize (Nyanteng and Asuming-Bempong, 2003), the major staple for many low-income Ghanaians, yet the aggregate staple maize availability projections in Ghana does not take into account insecurity problems in the post-harvest season caused by poor storage, distribution difficulties, high prices and low in...

a long-term rotation experiment was established in 2001 to compare conservation or reduced tillage systems (shallow rototiller and chisel tillage) with conventional tillage system using mouldboard plough in a semi-arid region with mediterranean climate. field experiments were conducted to determine weed density and profitability of cropping systems in a crop rotation of winter wheat (triticum a...