Tropical Maize May be the Ultimate Midwest Biofuel Crop

Tropical maize may prove to be the ultimate U.S. biofuel crop according to preliminary results of studies being conducted by the University of Illinois. Since it does not produce any ears, tropical maize requires less crop inputs like nitrogen fertilizer. Compared to other biofuel crops, it is easier for farmers to adopt tropical maize cultivation since it can be easily rotated with soybeans and other commercial crops. There is also no need for additional equipments, as tropical maize can be planted, cultivated and harvested using the same equipments the farmers already have. Finally, since tropical maize stores energy in form of simple sugars it will require less processing than corn grain and stover, switchgrass and other biofuel crops.

Fred Below, who led the study, said that tropical maize could be considered the 'Sugarcane of the Midwest’ in terms of biofuel production. He explained that sugarcane used in Brazil to make ethanol is desirable for the same reason: it produces lots of sugar without requiring a great deal of nitrogen application, and this sugar can be fermented to alcohol with less processing than that required by high-starch and cellulosic crops.

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