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Vertical Distribution of Corn Stover Dry Mass Grown at Several US Locations

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Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover was identified as a renewable non-food agricultural feedstock for production of liquid fuels, biopower, and other bioproducts, but it is also needed for erosion control, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling. To help balance these multiple demands, our objectives were to (1) determine height distribution of corn stover biomass, (2) quantify the percentage of stover that is corn cob, and (3) develop a general relationship between plant harvest height and stover remaining in the field for a broad range of growing conditions, soil types, and hybrids in different regions. Plant height, dry grain, stover, and cob yield data were collected at eight US locations. Overall, stover yield increased about 0.85 Mg ha-1 and cob yield increased about 0.10 Mg ha-1 for each 1.0 Mg ha-1 increase in dry grain yield. At grain harvest, the stover-to-grain ratio ranged from 0.64 to 0.96 and cob-to-grain ratio ranged from 0.11 to 0.19. A strong nearly 1:1 linear (r 2 = 0.93) relationship between the relative cutting height and relative biomass remaining in the field was observed across all sites. These data were requested by the US Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service to help improve version 2 of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE2) and Wind Erosion Prediction System and better estimate corn stover harvest rates based on cutting height or selective organ harvest (e.g., grain and cob only). This information will improve the capacity of RUSLE2 and similar models to predict the erosion risk associated with harvesting corn residues.

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Abbreviations

(GLM):

General linear model

(HI):

Harvest index

(RUSLE2):

Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation version 2

(SOM):

Soil organic matter

(USDA-ARS):

US Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service

(USDA-NRCS):

US Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service

(WEPS):

Wind Erosion Prediction System

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Acknowledgements

The authors dedicate this publication to Dr. Wally Wilhelm for his foresight and dedication to protecting the soil resource while building a bioeconomy. He is sorely missed. We would like to thank Dr. Charles C. Mitchell (Dept. of Agronomy and Soils, Auburn University, AL) for allowing us to collect samples at The Old Rotation historic cotton research site. We also thank B. Burmeister for proof-reading the final version, but we take full responsibility for any errors. Publication costs were covered by funding from the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center at South Dakota State University through a grant provided by the US Department of Energy Office of Biomass Programs under award number DE-FC36-05GO85041.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Tyson E. Ochsner

    Present address: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agroecosystems Management Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 117 Keim Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA

    Wally W. Wilhelm

  2. North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 803 Iowa Ave, Morris, MN, 56267, USA

    Jane M. F. Johnson & Nancy W. Barbour

  3. USDA-NRCS National Soil Survey Center, 100 Centennial Mall N. Rm 152, Lincoln, NE, 68508-3866, USA

    Dave T. Lightle

  4. National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 2110 University Boulevard, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Douglas L. Karlen & David A. Laird

  5. Coastal Plains Research Center, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 2611 W. Lucas St, Florence, SC, 29501, USA

    Jeff M. Novak

  6. Soil and Water Management Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 439 Borlaug Hall 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    John Baker & Tyson E. Ochsner

  7. USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 2150 Centre Ave. Bldg. D. Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA

    Ardell D. Halvorson

  8. Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, PO Box 459, Mandan, ND, 58554, USA

    David W. Archer

  9. National Soil Dynamics Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 411 S. Donahue Dr, Auburn, AL, 36832, USA

    Francisco Arriaga

Authors
  1. Wally W. Wilhelm
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  2. Jane M. F. Johnson
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  3. Dave T. Lightle
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  4. Douglas L. Karlen
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  6. Nancy W. Barbour
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  7. David A. Laird
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  8. John Baker
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  9. Tyson E. Ochsner
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  10. Ardell D. Halvorson
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  11. David W. Archer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jane M. F. Johnson.

Additional information

The author Wally W. Wilhelm is deceased.

The US Department of Agriculture offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, age, sex, or national origin, and is an equal-opportunity employer.

The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the United States Department of Agriculture or the Agricultural Research Service of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.

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Wilhelm, W.W., Johnson, J.M.F., Lightle, D.T. et al. Vertical Distribution of Corn Stover Dry Mass Grown at Several US Locations. Bioenerg. Res. 4, 11–21 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-010-9097-z

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