The United States Department of Energy (US-DOE) is joining with the US Department of Agriculture, Genome Canada and France's National Institute for Agricultural Research to fund a project worth $10.5 million, aimed at mapping the DNA sequence of the sunflower plant. Using the latest genotyping and sequencing technologies, the sunflower genome will be sequenced, and genes for agriculturally important traits (such as oil content in seeds) will be located. A high oil-yielding sunflower plant is a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. The development of a hybrid variety of sunflower, grown as a dual-use crop, is one of the potential applications of the research. According to (University of British Columbia-based) project leader, Dr. Loren Rieseberg, "The seeds would be harvested for food and oil, while the stalks would be utilized for wood or converted to ethanol. As a dual-use crop it wouldn't be in competition with food crops for land"..