What Is the Nutrient Value of Corn Stover Removal?
In order to increase U.S. energy security, the Department of Energy Office of Biomass Program plans to increase the use of crop residue as a source of biomass for renewable fuel production. The initiative to utilize crop residue from crops, including corn, has stimulated interest in the removal of corn stover from the field. Many questions are being asked about the amount of stover that can be removed without adverse consequences to soil organic matter levels and to physical and chemical properties of the soil. Another important question: What is the nutrient value of corn stover? Several factors need to be taken into account to estimate total nutrient removal in corn stover and its value. We are all familiar with the fact that removing grain also means removing nutrients from the soil. Since significant amounts of nutrients are not translocated to the grain but rather remain in the above-ground tissues of crops, removing residue from the field likewise means removing nutrients from th
