HEAT OF WINTER CEREAL CROPS

Heat is one of the most important types of energy at northern latitudes. In 2013 the total consumption of renewable energy resources (RER) in Latvia was 68 PJ. The heating systems can function on plant or other organic material, for example, wood chips or agricultural residues. By using local biomass resources it is possible to reduce the pollution of atmosphere caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Different variety of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), triticale (Triticosecale) and rye (Secale cereale) were used in the research. The following aspects were determined during the research: dry matter yield, chemical composition and the higher heating value of grains and straw. The evaluation of grains and straw of winter cereals showed that the higher heating value (MJ kg(-1)) was acquired from the straw of winter cereals, whereas the grains had the highest dry matter yield, thus the grains of winter cereals had the highest heating yield from one hectare (GJ ha(-1)).