The Agriculture and Energy departments awarded a total of $12.6 in research grants to 10 projects, from Virginia to California, to improve to improve plant feedstocks for the production of biofuels, biopower, and biobased products. The work is part of developing non-food sources of biomass. “Dedicated feedstock crops tend to require less intensive production practices and can grow on poorer quality land than food crops, making this a critical element in a strategy of sustainable biofuels production that avoids competition with crops grown for food,” said USDA.
The projects range from exploring cold hardiness in switch grass and growth factors in poplar trees to sorghum and related grasses bred for bioenergy uses. Other projects explore the potential of the oilseed camelina on marginal land in the arid West andl pennycress as a winter cover crop and biodiesel source in the upper Midwest. For details, click here.