Assessment of indicators determining the usage level of winter triticale cultivars for bioethanol production

Abstract

Increased production of biofuels around the world has resulted in the interest in plant production aimed at producing liquid biofuels. In Poland, special attention should be drawn to triticale due to its low soil and climatic requirements and relatively low cultivation costs. The study material consisted of winter triticale cultivars cultivated of three divisions of the “Danko” Plant Breeding Facility for three years on two levels of agricultural engineering. Parameters characterizing the usefulness of the cereals for bioethanol production, namely, amylolytic activity (expressed by falling number and diffusion in agarose gel), viscosity, C, N, protein and starch content (one year of study) were examined on all the cultivars used in the study. Fertilization, location and the year of study had the greatest impact on the amylolytic activity of the triticale cultivars assessed. The objective of the study was to determine which of the differentiating parameters are most useful for the assessment of applicability of triticale cultivar as the raw material for bioethanol production and the manner in which the assessment is to be conducted.