Abstract
BackgroundBesides the use of maize grain as food and feed, maize stover can be a profitable by-product for cellulosic ethanol production, whereas the whole plant can be used for silage production. However, yield is reduced by pest damages, stem corn borers being one of the most important yield constraints. Overall, cell wall composition is key in determining the quality of maize biomass, as well as pest resistance. This study aims to evaluate the composition of the four cell wall fractions (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and hydroxycinnamates) in diverse maize genotypes and to understand how this composition influences the resistance to pests, ethanol capacity and digestibility.ResultsThe following results can be highlighted: (i) pests’ resistant materials may show cell walls with low p-coumaric acid and low hemicellulose content; (ii) inbred lines showing cell walls with high cellulose content and high diferulate cross-linking may present higher performance for ethanol production; (iii) and inbreds with enhanced digestibility may have cell walls poor in neutral detergent fibre and diferulates, combined with a lignin polymer composition richer in G subunits.ConclusionsResults evidence that there is no maize cell wall ideotype among the tested for optimal performance for various uses, and maize plants should be specifically bred for each particular application.
Highlights
Besides the use of maize grain as food and feed, maize stover can be a profitable by-product for cel‐ lulosic ethanol production, whereas the whole plant can be used for silage production
Plant material A set of 20 inbred lines was evaluated (Table 1). These inbreds were divided into groups according to the reason they were included in the panel set: 1. The first subset of inbred lines includes maize inbreed lines that have been characterised in relation to resistance to corn borer attack [2]
Cell wall composition The inbred lines included in this study showed differences in cellulose, lignin, and hydroxycinnamates, but not in hemicellulose
Summary
Besides the use of maize grain as food and feed, maize stover can be a profitable by-product for cel‐ lulosic ethanol production, whereas the whole plant can be used for silage production. Accessibility, extensibility, and digestibility of tissues would determine important characteristics of maize, such as resistance to stem borers, stem diseases, feedstuff quality and saccharification for ethanol production. These characteristics depend on the cell wall composition and structure [1]. Saccharification yields or cell wall degradability depend on the cell wall composition and properties of the inbred line, and their response to pre-treatment and hydrolysis [6] It seems that different genotypes may have different defence mechanisms, react differently to pre-treatment, and have different cell wall properties that facilitate saccharification or digestibility
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