Energy crop company Ceres, Inc., announced this month that it will work
with University of Georgia researchers to develop new high-yielding
switchgrass seed varieties and improved crop management techniques for
the southeastern United States. Switchgrass, which can reach yields of
6 to 10 dry tons or more in the Southeast, is widely considered an
ideal raw material for next-generation biofuels and biopower.
The multi-year project will bring together plant breeders,
agronomists and support scientists at Ceres and the University of
Georgia to develop improved seed varieties. Field researchers will also
evaluate cropping practices in the Southeast, adapting developments
made by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, an Oklahoma-based
agricultural research institution with which Ceres has a long-term
product development collaboration.
"This project allows us to expand our internal and collaborative
plant breeding activities in a region where we believe the industry
will have a strong presence," said Ceres plant breeding director Jeff
Gwyn, Ph.D. He noted that University of Georgia has experienced
researchers and a well-regarded collection of switchgrass breeding
materials and germplasm–the precursors of commercial seed varieties.
"There’s a lot of headroom for improvement and I’m confident that
working together we can continue to drive up yields at a robust pace,"
he said.
Plant breeder Charles Brummer, Ph.D., University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said that
regionally focused research will be valuable for growers across the
region since Georgia and the Southeast have a unique set of
environmental factors, owing to their long growing season and high
rainfall.
"By trialing and selecting new products in the middle of their
target market, we can make greater gains more quickly and with greater
certainty," Brummer said. He noted that in addition to selecting
higher-yielding plants, researchers will examine seeding rates, row
spacing and no-till planting recommendations, and other crop management
practices.
Ceres will have commercialization rights for products developed
under the Ceres-funded project. The Noble Foundation will also
participate in the project, including both field research and
switchgrass breeding lines.
In December 2008, Ceres launched the first switchgrass and sorghum
varieties developed for bioenergy, which are sold under the company’s Blade Energy Crops label.
In September 2008, Ceres announced a collaboration
with Range Fuels, Inc., which is currently building its first
commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant near Soperton, Georgia.
Ceres, Inc. is a developer and marketer of high-yielding energy crops
that can be planted as raw materials for cellulosic ethanol production
and biopower. Its development efforts cover switchgrass, sorghum,
miscanthus, energycane and short-rotation woody crops.
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