Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2014
Journal or Book Title
BioEnergy Research
Volume
7
Issue
2
First Page
528
Last Page
539
DOI
10.1007/s12155-014-9419-7
Abstract
Corn (Zea mays L.) stover was identified as an important feedstock for cellulosic bioenergy production because of the extensive area upon which the crop is already grown. This report summarizes 239 site-years of field research examining effects of zero, moderate, and high stover removal rates at 36 sites in seven different states. Grain and stover yields from all sites as well as N, P, and K removal from 28 sites are summarized for nine longitude and six latitude bands, two tillage practices (conventional vs no tillage), two stover-harvest methods (machine vs calculated), and two crop rotations {continuous corn (maize) vs corn/soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]}. Mean grain yields ranged from 5.0 to 12.0 Mg ha−1 (80 to 192 bu ac−1). Harvesting an average of 3.9 or 7.2 Mg ha−1(1.7 or 3.2 tons ac−1) of the corn stover resulted in a slight increase in grain yield at 57 and 51 % of the sites, respectively. Average no-till grain yields were significantly lower than with conventional tillage when stover was not harvested, but not when it was collected. Plant samples collected between physiological maturity and combine harvest showed that compared to not harvesting stover, N, P, and K removal was increased by 24, 2.7, and 31 kg ha−1, respectively, with moderate (3.9 Mg ha−1) harvest and by 47, 5.5, and 62 kg ha−1, respectively, with high (7.2 Mg ha−1) removal. This data will be useful for verifying simulation models and available corn stover feedstock projections, but is too variable for planning site-specific stover harvest.
Access
Open
Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Karlen, Douglas L.; Birrell, Stuart J.; Johnson, Jane M. F.; Osborne, Shannon L.; Schumacher, Thomas E.; Varvel, Gary E.; Ferguson, Richard B.; Novak, Jeff M.; Fredrick, James R.; Baker, John M.; Lamb, John A.; Adler, Paul R.; Roth, Greg W.; and Nafziger, Emerson D., "Multilocation Corn Stover Harvest Effects on Crop Yields and Nutrient Removal" (2014). Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications. 600.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/abe_eng_pubs/600
Comments
This article is from BioEnergy Research 7 (2014): 528–539, doi:10.1007/s12155-014-9419-7.