BMP testingEnergy crops and whole-crop plants (WCS)

Triticale, whole crop — BMP: 19 studies, weighted mean 315 m³ CH₄/t VS

Triticale as a whole plant (GPS) is green forage harvested before grain maturity, popular in energy crops in colder climates. The records cover different harvest dates.

rating: very good CH₄ 64 %

Published 12 May 2025Updated 29 October 20263 min readFeedstockData Editorial Team

Photo Rasbak / Wikimedia Commons, licence CC BY-SA 3.0, source file; changes: cropping

Weighted mean: 315m³ CH₄/t VS
Range: 212–555m³ CH₄/t VS
Records: 19studies
Publications: 5sources
Temperatures: 35 °C, 37 °C, 38 °Cof the test

Methane in biogas

64.4% CH₄

High methane content · ≈ 6.4 kWh/m³ of biogas

measured mean of 5 studies BMP, range 59–69 %; in a batch test the CH₄ share tends to be higher than in a plant.

How we calculate it and what the zones mean

Rating for biogas plants

very good — editorial rating for biogas plantsWorth accepting even for free or with a payment to the supplier

Potential per tonne of fresh matter: very high (102 m³ CH₄/t); no particular threats to stability. Handling costs: fibres, floating layer.

Why? Rating factors

Potential per tonne +3

+3potential 102 m³ CH₄/t fresh matter (BMP 315 × DM 34.5 % × VS 94.4 %)

Process stability 0

0no factors

Handling and costs −0.5

−0.5fibres, floating layer — shredding and intensive mixing

Total points: 2.5 · thresholds: ≥ 2.5 very good, ≥ 1 good, below — neutral; negative with cumulative process risk.

Editorial rating per the methodology · confidence of the rating: high · excluding market prices

Add to the co-digestion calculator CSV data

BMP curves from 19 studies

Weighted mean Individual records

Dashed lines are a model curve (first-order kinetics, B(t) = B₀·(1 − e^−kt)); the end point comes from the publication. All curves are model curves.

Cumulative methane production over the test [m³ CH₄/t VS]. The thick line is the weighted mean of all records (315); dots mark the end values given in the publications. Point at the chart to read values; click a legend item to hide or show a record.

Show the remaining records in the legend (7)

Records and sources

Download CSV

Source	BMP m³ CH₄/t VS	CH₄ in biogas % vol., measured	Temperature	Sample	Curve
Amon et al. (2007) · 1 DOI	212	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 2 DOI	213	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 3 DOI	223	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 4 DOI	232	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 5 DOI	236	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 6 DOI	241	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 7 DOI	255	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 8 DOI	264	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 9 DOI	265	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Amon et al. (2007) · 10 DOI	286	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Antognoni et al. (2013) · 1	324	—	37 °C · mesophilic	Triticale Silage harvester	end point (model curve)
Antognoni et al. (2013) · 2	340	—	37 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Heiermann (2002) · 1	337	59.0 %	35 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Heiermann (2002) · 2	461	63.0 %	35 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Heiermann (2002) · 3	509	66.0 %	35 °C · mesophilic	Triticale · pretreatment: Silage in 1L glass vessels packed and sealed for 3 month period	end point (model curve)
Heiermann (2002) · 4	534	69.0 %	35 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Heiermann (2002) · 5	555	65.0 %	35 °C · mesophilic	Triticale · pretreatment: Silage in 1L glass vessels packed and sealed for 3 month period	end point (model curve)
Kolbl et al. (2014) DOI	286	—	38 °C · mesophilic	Triticale	end point (model curve)
Chevalier et al. (2023) DOI	233	—	—	Whole triticale (WT), milled control (CM)	end point (model curve)
Weighted mean	315	64.4 %	arithmetic mean 316, SD 113

Typical composition

Dry matter (DM): 34.5% (range 9.1–65.5)
Volatile solids (VS): 94.4 % DM (range 73–97.4)

Median and range of the determinations reported in the publications behind this substrate's BMP records (read from: CROPGEN D4, MY-D); dry matter: 6 determinations, volatile solids: 6 determinations.

Sources: Heiermann (2002); Kolbl et al. (2014).

The composition of the raw material varies between batches — for plant calculations use an analysis of your own sample. The calculator inserts typical values automatically.

Process properties

seasonal
fibrous
editorial classification

Advantages

Methane potential in the database: weighted mean 315 m³ CH₄/t VS (median 265; range 212–555; 19 records from 5 sources).
Whole-crop cereal silage (WCS) with numerous records (19) and pretreatment studies (Antognoni 2013, Chevalier 2023).

Drawbacks and risks

Spread of results in the database: standard deviation 113 at a mean of 316 m³ CH₄/t VS (19 records from 5 sources).

Co-digestion — what to combine it with, what to watch out for

combines well
group: Animal excreta (slurry, manure, poultry litter)
Co-digestion with excreta (slurry/solid manure) is the standard arrangement for plant biomass: they supply alkalinity and microflora.^[1][2]

Dosing

No source-based dose limits.

Practical requirements

Shred: shredding increases the surface available for degradation and speeds it up, but does not necessarily raise the final gas yield (FNR 2010, Ch. 3 “Triturado”).

Sources of the process data

Amon, T.; Amon, B.; Kryvoruchko, V.; Machmüller, A.; Hopfner-Sixt, K.; Bodiroza, V.; Hrbek, R.; Friedel, J.; Pötsch, E.; Wagentristl, H.; Schreiner, M.; Zollitsch, W. (2007) Methane production through anaerobic digestion of various energy crops grown in sustainable crop rotations. Bioresource Technology 98(17), 3204–3212
Weiland, P. (2010) Biogas production: current state and perspectives. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Antognoni, S.; Ragazzi, M.; Rada, E.C.; Plank, R.; Aichinger, P.; Kuprian, M.; Ebner, C. (2013) Potential Effects of Mechanical Pre-treatments on Methane Yield from Solid Waste Anaerobically Digested. International Journal of Environmental Bioremediation & Biodegradation 1(1), 20–25
Heiermann, M. Plöchl, M. Linke, B. Schelle, H. (2002) Preliminary evaluation of some cereals as energy crops for biogas production. World Renewable Energy Congress VII
Hendriks, A.T.W.M.; Zeeman, G. (2009) Pretreatments to enhance the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass. Bioresource Technology
Kolbl, S.; Paloczi, A.; Panjan, J.; Stres, B. (2014) Addressing case specific biogas plant tasks: Industry oriented methane yields derived from 5L Automatic Methane Potential Test Systems in batch or semi-continuous tests using realistic inocula, substrate particle sizes and organic loading. Bioresource Technology 153, 180–188
Chevalier, A.; Evon, P.; Monlau, F.; Vandenbossche, V.; Sambusiti, C. (2023) Twin-Screw Extrusion Mechanical Pretreatment for Enhancing Biomethane Production from Agro-Industrial, Agricultural and Catch Crop Biomasses. Waste 1(2), 497–514
FNR (2010). Guía sobre el Biogás – Desde la producción hasta el uso (hiszp. wydanie „Leitfaden Biogas”, GIZ 2013)

The co-digestion calculator will assess a specific mixture containing this substrate.

What it is and where it comes from

Triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye, commonly grown in Poland for feed. Its advantage is good yielding on soils poorer than those suitable for wheat. Harvested as whole plants (GPS), it is sometimes ensiled and used as a supplement to maize silage. The compilation covers a dozen or so records from several studies, including an experiment in which many harvest dates were tested in an energy crop rotation, under mesophilic conditions.

Properties relevant to digestion

Like other cereals harvested green, triticale, as it matures, increases the share of starch in the grain and of woody straw, and reduces the content of protein and readily available compounds. Early harvest gives material that is better digestible but less abundant. Ensiling is usually easy, and proper size reduction and compaction limit losses. Immature grains are soft and more readily utilised, whereas in silage from a late harvest part of the starch may remain unutilised if it is not crushed. The C-to-N ratio is more favourable than in straw.

How to read the spread of results

The greatest influence is exerted by the harvest date, followed by the variety, fertilisation, year and site. Some records come from a single series, so the spread does not result from independent sources. Added to this are differences in size reduction, the form of the material (green forage or silage), the inoculum, the substrate-to-inoculum ratio and the length of the test. The compilation reflects a wide range of possible values, not the result of a specific crop.

In biogas plant practice

Triticale GPS suits farms that want to obtain additional biomass from a cereal crop and to clear the field earlier. Harvest with a forage harvester at milk or wax ripeness, rapid ensiling and a tight cover are the basis of good quality. The substrate combines well with slurry and maize silage. Cost-effectiveness is decided by yield and the price of competing raw materials. A BMP test stating the harvest stage makes it possible to select the dose properly. It is worth remembering that triticale is a crop with good productivity and disease resistance, so in regions with poorer soils it often comes out better than wheat. The final choice of cereal species for GPS depends, however, on local yields and harvest dates.

Methodology in brief

BMP is the amount of methane obtained from volatile solids (VS) in a batch test, given in m³ CH₄ per tonne of VS (numerically the same as NmL CH₄/g VS in the publications) and converted to normal conditions (0 °C, 101.325 kPa). The weighted mean gives each publication a total weight of 1, split equally between its results for the substrate — a paper testing twenty varieties does not outweigh a paper with a single sample. In inter-laboratory programmes the unit is the laboratory (total weight 1), and within it the weight of a test grows with the number of bottles (replicates). Results after pretreatment (e.g. thermal, chemical, enzymatic) are shown separately and are not included in the mean.

Solid lines are curves measured in the tests. Where a publication gives only the final result, we draw a first-order kinetic model, B(t) = B₀·(1 − e^−kt): only the end point comes from the publication, and the shape of the curve serves purely as visualisation — do not read the production on a particular day from it. For this substrate k = 0.085 d⁻¹ was assumed (median of rate constants k reported in the sources and/or fitted to the mean measured curves).

The statistics describe the spread of published results — a descriptive compilation, not a meta-analysis or a guarantee of plant yield.

Full methodology and correction policy

Results after pretreatment (2) — excluded from the mean

Source	BMP m³ CH₄/t VS	Pretreatment	Sample
Kolbl et al. (2014)	312	enzymatic	Triticale
Kolbl et al. (2014)	478	enzymatic	Triticale

Bibliography

All sources of the site: bibliography.