Breeding Better Grasses for Food and Fuel

Once an elusive dream, researchers from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered that plants can be developed as a source of food and at the same time source of energy for fuel. In a research article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a family of genes called Gt61 that govern the development of fibrous, woody parts of grasses has been discovered.

"What we hope to do with this research is to produce varieties of plants where the woody parts yield their energy much more readily - but without compromising the structure of the plant. We think that one way to do this might be to modify the genes that are involved in the formation of a molecule called xylan - a crucial structural component of plants," said Prof. Dupree of the University of Cambridge, co-author of the paper.

The Gt61 gene of grasses was introduced in Arabidopsis which enable the production of a grass form of xylan. The gene on the other hand was silenced in another study in wheat grain. Both the Arabidopsis plant and the wheat grain appeared normal despite the changes in xylan. These results open possibilities in the development of plants with the right balance of being sturdy enough to grow, thrive and produce food, while also serving as a feedstock for biofuel production.

For more on this article, view ttp://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/industrial-biotechnology/2012/120117-pr-breeding-grasses-for-food-fuel.aspx