An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Maryland and the Bowie State University has received a four-year grant of US$3.4 million from the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Project, "to work on ways for turning poplar trees into high-yield crops for biofuels including ethanol". A sustainability dimension has been included in the scenario that the hybrid trees would be grown on plantations and harvested without affecting existing woodlands. According to lead researcher Gary Coleman, there are many advantages of a poplar crop over traditional biofuel sources: "Growing trees doesn't eat into farmland, and trees don't require a lot of maintenance during their growth cycle," said Coleman. "A dedicated energy crop like poplar would contribute to the development of a sustainable and renewable energy system". In order for poplar to become an effective biofuel feedstock, its growth cycle needs to speed up and become more efficient; and one of the keys to doing so is to understand how it stores and cycles nitrogen. The research team is looking into the mechanisms of nitrogen cycling, finding ways to increase the rates of the cellular reactions, and identifying genes that play a crucial role in the process. The final objective is to "breed a variety of poplar with a more efficient nitrogen process, optimized for growth and rapid maturity". Genetic aspects of the study has been recently made possible by the availability of the poplar tree's genome sequence..