Biogas with Maize

Both maize silage and grass silage are used in biogas production. When using maize silage for biogas production, the most critical factor is the methane yield per hectare. This yield is determined by both the harvested dry matter yield (dt DM/ha) and the methane that can be extracted from it. The plant’s various components, particularly the grain, play a significant role in this process.

• Cobs-emphasized maize varieties have an advantage in terms of methane production per kilogram of dry matter, as they obtain a large portion of their methane yield from the starch-rich grains.
   
• Biomass-driven varieties are superior to cob-emphasized varieties in total dry matter production, but with a relatively lower emphasis on the cob.

   

For biogas production, maize silage can be prepared with slightly lower dry matter contents than for forage use. This gives practitioners the opportunity to select late-maturing maize varieties that continue to grow in mass until late autumn.

It is recommended to choose maize varieties for biogas production that are approximately 30 maturity points above the silage maize varieties that are typically suitable for the location. However, it is crucial to ensure that these varieties are well-suited to the site (taking factors like juvenile development, drought tolerance, and HTR resistance into account) so that the expected yield increase can be fully realized.

In areas where it is uncertain whether the desired dry matter content will be achieved, careful selection of the maturity group is essential. Future breeding may offer more efficient hybrid varieties for biogas production by combining later-maturing varieties with climate-adapted, high-quality varieties.