Biotech Updates

Ethanol "Leftover" Kills Weeds

May 18, 2007

Scientists are looking into possible novel uses of distillers dried grains or DDGs, the co-products of converting corn into ethanol. Plant physiologist Steve Vaughn and colleagues with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have shown that applying DDGs to soil as a surface mulch can not only suppress weeds, but also bolster the growth of tomatoes and some turfgrasses. Aside from seeking to identify chemicals in the DDG mulch that have herbicidal activities, researchers are also examining DDGs for phytosterols, lecithin and other substances with potential use as health-promoting food ingredients.

Read the news article at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/070514.htm.