By Jamie Martin
Scientists at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) have created a high-oil-yield sorghum variant. This innovation could revolutionize renewable fuel production by providing an alternative to traditional oil crops like soybeans.
The study, published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, reveals that engineered sorghum can accumulate up to 5.5% dry weight oil in leaves and 3.5% in stems, vastly surpassing unmodified sorghum. This results in 1.4 times more oil per hectare than soybeans, making it a promising renewable feedstock.
"This work is the culmination of a large team effort that demonstrates how fundamental research can be used to develop new crop feedstocks to address global energy demands," said Edgar Cahoon, Director of the Center for Plant Science Innovation at University of Nebraska.
Using a "push-pull-protect" strategy, CABBI researchers introduced genes to enhance photosynthesis and oil production in sorghum while protecting the oil from breakdown. The crop’s ability to grow in tough climates and its stable oil production across generations add to its potential.
This breakthrough supports renewable energy goals by reducing reliance on oil palm and soybean, which cannot meet future global demand. It also offers farmers new income opportunities and strengthens rural economies.
"The basis for further improvement of TAG yields will depend on in-depth analysis of the effects of the 'push-pull-protect' metabolic engineering approach applied in the study," said Jörg Schwender, Senior Scientist of the Plant Science Group at Brookhaven National Laboratory and another corresponding author on the paper. "For example, in the current study, the team used whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (or RNA sequencing), a technique that analyzes the activity of thousands of genes at the same time in tissue samples."
Future efforts aim to boost oil yields to 10% dry weight using advanced genetic analysis. With ongoing research, sorghum could become a key player in sustainable biofuel production, benefiting both the environment and agriculture.
Photo Credit: vista-mipan
Categories: National