Biogas Attack, Italy’s most innovative 1,000 hectares of shredded crops

The new way of making corn chopping for biogas by Dekalb, MaterMacc and New Holland. Project for more productive maize farming presented

Field meetings organized by Dekalb (Monsanto), MaterMacc and New Holland, dedicated to maize farmers and biogas operators, have concluded in Italy. The events presented the results of more than 1,000 hectares of agronomic trials conducted on about 80 Italian farms specializing in biomass energy production.

In Italy, silomais accounts for about 30 percent of the total maize area, and of this about 10 percent (110,000 hectares) is destined for the agricultural biogas supply chain, a production segment that, according to the data presented, is expected to remain stable over the next 10 to 15 years.

The Biogas Attack Project

The Biogas Attack project was created with the goal of increasing the profitability of biogas farms by improving the productivity per hectare and energy quality of corn chopping. For the first time in Italy, a complete integrated yard was made available, consisting of:

• High-performance corn genetics,
• Advanced seeding technology,
• Field collection and monitoring systems.

Technical meetings were held:

• August 20 in Concamarise (Verona),
• August 23 in Eraclea (Venice),
• Sept. 6 in Castelceriolo (Alessandria).

The three pillars of the strategy

The proposed solution is based on three key elements:

1. High-density maize hybrids to increase production per hectare;
2. Sowing in twin rows (Twin Row) to increase the number of plants while maintaining the traditional row spacing;
3. Monitoring production as a function of energy produced, not just ton yield.

Key findings

Dekalb’s DKC6815 hybrid showed:

• +2 t/ha of fresh mass,
• +0.7 t/ha dry matter,
• +6% energy production.

The twin-row seeding developed by MaterMacc achieves up to 10.6 plants/m², as opposed to 6.9 with traditional seeding.
New Holland’s mowers enable optimal harvesting even on twin rows and real-time evaluation of dry matter production.

Through the use of technology AGRINIR, qualitative data (dry matter, fiber, starch) are collected directly in the field within minutes. Preliminary results showed:

• Production increase of up to +5%,
• Starch up to +25%,
• Stability of quality parameters related to energy yield.

Final data from the project will be published by AgroNotizie.

Link to article: Biogas Attack, Italy’s most innovative 1,000 hectares of shredded crops