By IANS,
Washington : With galloping oil prices, the quest for efficient and sustainable biofuels has narrowed on corn stover, the leaves and stalks of corn plants that are discarded after harvesting the edible grain. The plant could meet a fourth of the biofuel crop requirement by 2030.
Scientists at the University of Nebraska examined the long-term sustainability of using corn stover as a biofuel crop.
When corn stover is not harvested as a biofuel crop, it can be left on the fields to restore vital nutrients to the soil. Full-scale harvesting of corn stover may deplete the soil.
Researchers measured the soil organic carbon levels and residue production over 14 years in fields planted continuously with corn, continuously with soybeans, and with a rotation of corn and soybeans. Organic carbon rates were found to stay steady or even increase in all three field types.
Gary Varvel and Wally Wilhelm, who conducted the study, said “these results suggest that a portion of corn stover could be harvested for biofuel production without reducing soil organic carbon levels in high yielding systems.
“However, since this study did not study the direct impact of stover removal, that aspect remains to be evaluated.”