A joint program between the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture aims to improve and accelerate genetic breeding of plants for bioenergy production.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday announced $8.9 million in research awards.
"Developing a domestic source of renewable energy will create jobs and wealth in rural America, combat global warming, replace our dependence on foreign oil, and build a stronger foundation for the 21st century economy," Secretary Vilsack said.
The research aims to harness lignocellulosic materials–i.e., nonfood plant fiber–for biofuels production. Emphasis is on perennials, including trees and other nonfood plants that can be used as dedicated biofuel crops. Since such crops tend to require less intensive production practices and can grow on somewhat poorer quality land than food crops, they will be a critical element in a strategy of sustainable biofuels production that avoids competition with crops grown for food.
New projects to be funded this year aim at enhancing productivity, yield, nutrient and water utilization, and sustainability of plant feedstocks. Research focuses on better understanding of basic plant processes that control cell wall composition, plant architecture, cell size and division, wood formation, nutrient uptake, carbon allocation and on the impact of temperature and water availability.
DOE’s Office of Science will provide $6.9 million in funding for seven projects, while USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will award $2 million to fund two projects. Initial funding will support research projects for up to three years.
DOE-funded projects include:
- USDA-ARS Western Regional Research Center, Albany, Calif., $949,348
- University of California, Berkeley, Calif., $793,413
- University of Delaware, Newark, Del., $868,794
- University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $1,340,000
- University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill., $1,165,900
- University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo, $1,106,656
- Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Danville, Va., $734,759
USDA-funded projects include:
- University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill, $1,000,000
- Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, $1,000,000
More information on the individual projects and the joint DOE-USDA program is available at the link below.
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