Effect of the Variation in Brassica napus Cultivars on Cellulosic Ethanol Yield
July 22, 2015http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/8/1/99
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Intraspecific variations in biomass composition can influence a plant's suitability for ethanol production. This may be particularly important in species such as Brassica napus, which has many different crop types for different purposes. Researchers led by Keith W. Waldron of the Norwich Research Park in UK tested straw derived from 17 B. napus cultivars, of varying crop types to establish if differences in biomass composition are relevant to cellulosic ethanol production.
Straw from the different cultivars produced varying yields after processing. The amount of fermentation inhibitors released also varied between genotypes. Cultivars with glucan-rich straw did not produce higher saccharification or ethanol yields after processing. The abundance of pectins and arabinogalactans was also shown to have the greatest influence on saccharification efficiency between straw genotypes.
Variations in the abundance of pectins influence the processing efficiency for bioethanol production. This information provides targets for plant breeding in the development of improved cellulase cocktails.
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