Influence of macronutrients and micronutrients on maize hybrids for biogas production

Important in the cultivation of corn for biogas production is the selection of appropriate hybrids, macro- and micronutrient dozing and the evaluation of energy and economic efficiency of their use. Therefore, this article presents the results of 3-year field research (2019–2021) on the yield of maize hybrids of different maturity groups grown for silage. The influence of the application of macronutrients and micronutrients on fresh and dry mass yield, chemical composition, methane yield, energy, and economic efficiency was analysed. It was established that depending on the maize hybrid, the application of macro- and micro-fertilizers increased the yield of the fresh mass of maize by 1.4–24.0% compared to options without their use. The evaluation of the theoretical yield of CH(4) based on the content of fats, protein, cellulose, and hemicellulose is also presented in different samples of maize. The findings show that the application of macro-and micro-fertilizers is suitable from the energy and economic points of view — profitability begins to appear at the price of biomethane of 0.3–0.4 euros per 1 m(3). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-023-27235-3.