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	View Edit Domain: BioEnergy Title: * Body: New research published in <em>Agronomy Journal</em> assesses the sustainability of corn stover as a biofuel cropMADISON, Wisc. - With oil prices skyrocketing, the search is on for efficient and sustainable biofuels. Research published this month in Agronomy Journal examines one biofuel crop contender: corn stover.<br /><br />Corn stover is made up of the leaves and stalks of corn plants that are left in the field after harvesting the edible corn grain. Corn stover could supply as much as 25% of the biofuel crop needed by 2030.<br /><br />Scientists with the USDA-ARS Agroecosystem Unit located at the University of Nebraska examined the long-term sustainability of using corn stover as a biofuel crop.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />Research into the effects of residue removal on soil organic carbon levels in several different cropping systems is ongoing at this and several other USDA-ARS locations throughout the U.S. Much of this research is under the auspices of a multi-location CRIS project within ARS called REAP (Renewable Energy Assessment Project).<br /><br /><em>The full article is available for no charge for 30 days following the date of this summary. View the abstract at http://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/100/4/1180.</em><br /><br />A peer-reviewed international journal of agriculture and natural resource sciences, Agronomy Journal is published six times a year by the American Society of Agronomy, with articles relating to original research in soil science, crop science, agroclimatology and agronomic modeling, production agriculture, and software. For more information visit: http://agron.scijournals.org.<br /><br /><strong>About the American Society of Agronomy</strong><br />The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) www.agronomy.org, is a scientific society helping its 8,000+ members advance the disciplines and practices of agronomy by supporting professional growth and science policy initiatives, and by providing quality, research-based publications and a variety of member services.<br /><br /><strong>CONTACT: </strong><br />Sara Uttech<br />suttech@agronomy.org<br />608-268-4948<br />American Society of Agronomy <br />www.agronomy.org Captcha: Please Enter Code : * Time Zone: * Select the time zone Vocabularies Newsletter: Domain: Show summary in full view Input format Filtered HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Full HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. news_filter Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. More information about formatting options			Related Articles Novel gene increases yeast's appetite for plant sugars Reuse Of Ethanol Enzymes Studied Sustainable Corn Production Supports Advanced Biofuel Feedst... Report says corn stover has other uses Top BioEnergy Articles

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