Seed calorific value in different maize genotypes

Biomass represents an important source of renewable energy, and in most countries it is now considered essential for environmental policies to include sustainable energy production. The direct burning of maize grains contaminated by mycotoxins for house heating or for harvested grain drying may represent an interesting and economically efficient way to salvage an otherwise unusable product. This work aims to identify those seed traits correlated with the heat content, which can be helpful in assessing the suitability for direct burning of existing maize genotypes and in the development of breeding programs for seed calorific value. Copyright