Biofuels Research

With the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act in December 2007, the federal government set a monumental goal for biofuels production in the United States - the annual production of 36 billion gallons of first and second generation biofuels by 2022. Cellulosic ethanol, produced from plant fiber rather than corn or sorghum grain, will account for more than half of this annual total. As scientists and researchers around the world seek to achieve commercial-scale production of cellulosic ethanol for the first time, Noble Foundation scientists, researchers and agronomists are leveraging their collective expertise in forage breeding, plant improvement and crop management to provide the critical feedstock necessary to fuel this emerging industry and reduce this country's dependence on foreign oil. The focus of the Noble Foundation's bioenergy feedstock work is on switchgrass. However, companion crops, such as alfalfa, are also the subject of several Noble research and evaluation projects.

Representative research

Assess biomass yields and economics of switchgrass as a bioenergy crop (Butler, Biermacher)
Develop switchgrass establishment guidelines to maximize yields and reduce input requirements (Butler)
Evaluate switchgrass in a dual-purpose stocker cattle and bioenergy system (Blanton, Biermacher)
Develop and test new switchgrass cultivars suitable for bioenergy and forage production systems (Bouton)
Characterize novel symbiosis created between switchgrass and mycorrhizae (Craven)
Study lignin biosynthesis and genetic modification of lignin in alfalfa and switchgrass (Dixon)
Develop and apply genomics tools for drought tolerance enhancement in alfalfa (Monteros, Udvardi)
Study nonhost resistance against switchgrass rust (Mysore)
Optimize and use virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) for functional analysis of switchgrass genes (Nelson)
Develop a comprehensive molecular marker system, genetic linkage maps and QTL analysis in switchgrass populations (Saha)
Investigate nutrient recycling for sustainable nutrient inputs in switchgrass (Udvardi)
Genetically manipulate cell wall traits in switchgrass for enhancing biofuels production (Wang)