Dr. Albert Kausch, a plant geneticist from the University of Rhode Island, says that genetic engineering of switchgrass as bioethanol feedstock could significantly reduce the cost of ethanol production from the present $2.70/gallon to $1/gallon. Switchgrass has several advantages for the use as bioethanol feedstock, including the ability to grow in marginal soils with little agricultural inputs like fertilizer, irrigation and insecticides. However, the slow breakdown rate of the cellulose content prior to ethanol fermentation of unaltered switchgrass, limits the commercial profitability of this crop for ethanol production. At present, Dr. Kausch is working with professors at Brown University to develop better enzymes for cellulose degradation in switchgrass, and hopes to come up with improved varieties by 2011..