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COUMARIN CONTENT IN SILAGES MADE OF MIXED CROPPING BIOMASS COMPRISING MAIZE AND WHITE SWEET CLOVER

Pavlina Kadankova

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the content of coumarin as a possible methanogenesis inhibitor in prepared model silages made of mixed cropping system (MC)crops composed of Zea mays L. and Melilotus albus MED. (white sweet clover).Global efforts to reduce dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels are intensified andbiomass production is becoming increasingly important. European Union (EU)intervention in the field of renewable energy has contributed to increasing the demand forbiomass intended for biogas production. The growing demand for available sources forbiogas plants has led to the emergence of monocultural growing systems planting Zeamays L. They are referred to as maize-based cropping systems (MBCSs). Conventionalmaize monocultures are currently being rejected due to frequent soil degradation. Thepossibility of changing the view of agrotechnical methods of maize cultivation is itsinclusion in the system of mixed culture with e.g. white Melilotus albus MED. Thiscombination meets the definition of MC, i.e. the cultivation of two plant species on oneplot at the same time. The MC has the potential to use natural resources more efficiently,such as soil, water, sun and nutrients than individual crops grown separately. Thedisadvantage of producing MC silage composed of Zea mays L. and Melilotus albusMED. may be the content of coumarin, which is naturally present in the white sweetclover plants and could be inhibitory in the process of methanogesis. There were prepared model micro-silages with different ratios of Zea mays L. and Melitotus albus MED. 12: 1; 9: 1; 7: 3; 1: 1; 3: 7 and 100 Melitotus albus MED. The content of coumarin was determined in mature silages using gas chromatography. The concentration of coumarin varied depending on the composition of the silage. With the increasing content of Melilotus albus MED., there was a significant increase (P = 0.05) in its concentration. A very strong positive correlation (R = 0.97) was found between the amount of white sweet clover and the coumarin content in the silage. From these results, it can be seen that the coumarin content in the micro-silage produced from the mixed culture stands can be influenced by the sowing rate of the individual components of the mixed culture. Thus, it is possible to cultivate MC composed of Zea mays L. and Melitotus albus MED. The highest concentration of coumarin was in silage with a ratio of 3: 7 and the lowest was 12: 1.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2019/4.1/s17.015

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