Mendel's BioEnergy? Seeds (MBS)—a division of Mendel Biotechnology—is developing new varieties of highly productive energy grasses. Energy grasses, a non-food crop, will be one of the key sources of large-scale biomass for North Carolina’s advanced biofuels industry sector. Mendel’s varieties of energy grasses promise to deliver the large-scale supplies of feedstocks that will be needed. The company's research indicates that its energy grasses can produce the necessary large tonnages on marginal and under-utilized lands in a highly sustainable manner. Mendel's product portfolio includes the largest research and development program in the world focused on Miscanthus, one of the most promising perennial grass species.

Miscanthus is a genus of about 15 species of four-carbon perennial grasses?. Public varieties of Miscanthus giganteus—sterile hybrids between M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus—have been trialed as bioenergy feedstock sources in Europe since the early 1980s. Miscanthus can grow to heights of more than 13 feet and yield greater than 10 dry tons per acre per year in most U.S. climactic regions. However, propagation of the public varieties is through rhizome? cuttings. Rhizome cutting propagation is slow and expensive, which can make it unprofitable or difficult for farmers to adopt. Mendel has developed high-performing elite varieties of Miscanthus that are competitive in yield with the public varieties but which can be propagated and scaled much more efficiently. With these advancements, Mendel can offer a genetically diverse set of varieties that provide increased reliability of feedstock production. The genetic diversity and ease of establishment of Mendel’s product offerings will continue to increase substantially over the next several years.

With an expanding global population, improved diets, and rapidly growing energy demands, society will need to produce plants enhanced for food, feed, fiber, and energy without large increases in production acreage. With the growth of energy production from agricultural feedstocks, agricultural and energy supply chains serving the needs of a growing carbohydrate economy are expected to become integrated. Mendel's vision is that knowledge about regulation of plant gene and pathway function along with advances in plant breeding will enable accelerated improvement in plant varieties, and the delivery of associated services, to meet global agricultural and energy production needs.

For more information:

http://www.mendelbio.com/bioenergy/index.php

-- ShaneReese - 31 May 2011