Giant corn stalks may be better for ethanol

Here we are talking about getting sugars from the stalks--even easier to convert to ethanol than the starch from corn kernels. The long days of midwest summers cause high sugar production instead of forming ears in tropical maize (corn) varieties. This could mean a large increase in ethanol yield per acre and decrease in fertilization without the need for new cellulosic processing technology. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
If Corn Is Biofuels King, Tropical Maize May Be Emperor:
Science News -- Oct. 16, 2007
"Without ears, these plants concentrate sugars in their stalks, he adds. Those sugars could have a dramatic affect on Midwestern production of ethanol and other biofuels."