A research study funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, United Kingdom) could lead to the cultivation of bioenergy crops which could be converted to "eco-friendly biofuels". Dr. Paul Dupree (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom) and his team have found three enzymes responsible for the production of all detectable levels of a type of sugar called glucomannan. Using the model plant, Arabidopsis, Dr. Dupree and his team showed that "the quantity of glucomannan can be increased or decreased in the stem with no visible detrimental effects on plant development or cell wall strength"; however, a detrimental effect on seed development was observed. Although the observed increases in fermentable sugar are encouraging, further work may be necessary "to understand how to make substantial improvements in crop species". Dr Dupree says, "We now know that it may be possible to increase glucomannan specifically in harvestable plant organs, such as stems. This could be very beneficial for the production of bioenergy crops where higher proportions of enzyme-accessible fermentable sugars, such as those in glucomannan, could lead to higher yields of fuel. Achieving higher fuel yields from crops will increase the likelihood of sustainable and economic biofuels displacing fossil fuels". The report of research results are published in The Plant journal (URL above)..