Corn stover is a biogas feedstock capable of enhancing agriculture bioenergy potential. Although the influence of growing conditions on biogas yield of corn stover has been reported, the joint effects of water and nitrogen on biogas production potential have not been addressed. A two year experiment (Exp. 1 and Exp. 2) was conducted in Balcarce, Argentina to assess nitrogen supply effects on stover composition and potential methane yield of corn crops grown under contrasting water regimes. Treatments were a combination of two nitrogen fertilization doses (0 and 120 kg ha⁻¹) and two water regimes (irrigated and rainfed). Biomass composition (mass closure procedure) was determined, a BMP test was carried out and first-order kinetic parameters were obtained. Interactive effects of nitrogen and water on stover composition were found. BMP tests showed that the biogas production rate (k) decreased upon irrigation while its response to nitrogen depended on water availability. Nitrogen supply decreased specific biogas potential (B_max) independently of water availability. Methane yield increased with nitrogen fertilization under irrigation, while it decreased under rainfed conditions. The observed water and nitrogen supply interactive effects on stover yield, methane yield and biomass conversion efficiency highlights the importance of considering the joint effects of multiple factors when trying to assess the effects of the environment on biomass quality for bioenergy purposes.

玉米秸秆是一种能够提高农业生物能源潜力的沼气原料。尽管已经报道了生长条件对玉米秸秆沼气产量的影响，但尚未解决水和氮对沼气生产潜力的共同影响。在阿根廷的Balcarce进行了为期两年的实验（实验1和实验2），以评估氮素供应对秸秆组成和不同水分制度下种植的玉米作物甲烷潜在产量的影响。处理是两种氮肥剂量（0和120 kg ha ^-1）和两种供水方式（灌溉和雨养）。确定生物质组成（质量封闭程序），进行BMP测试并获得一级动力学参数。发现氮和水对秸秆组成的相互作用。BMP测试表明，灌溉后沼气产生率（k）降低，而其对氮的响应则取决于水的可利用性。氮供应降低了特定的沼气潜力（_最大B），而与水的供应无关。灌溉条件下，甲烷产量随氮肥的施用而增加，而在雨养条件下，甲烷的产量下降。观察到的水和氮供应对秸秆产量，甲烷产量和生物质转化效率的相互作用影响，突出了在评估环境对生物能源目的对生物质质量的影响时，考虑多种因素共同作用的重要性。