Published:
9:30 AM May 1, 2021
The hardy Miscanthus grass could provide an alternative sustainable energy source and become a driving force towards achieving net zero carbon emissions
- Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
The climate crisis and food security are two of the most pressing problems facing our planet, and researchers at Norwich Research Park have found a grass that has the potential to deliver green energy while not impacting on land that’s needed for food crops.
The global challenge of feeding the ever-increasing world population is exacerbated when food crops are used for green energy production. But, according to new research conducted by scientists at the Earlham Institute, based on Norwich Research Park, specific grass species - identified for their resilience to harsh growing environments - could be used as an alternative sustainable energy source and become a driving force towards achieving net zero carbon emissions.
Grass species could provide green energy breakthrough
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UK researchers find miscanthus can grow well on poorer farm land : Biofuels Digest
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With very little known about its productivity in flooded and moisture-saturated soil conditions, researchers at the Earlham Institute in Norwich wanted to understand the differences in water-stress tolerance among Miscanthus species to guide genomics-assisted crop breeding.
The research team – along with collaborators at TEAGASC, The Agriculture and Food Development Authority in the Republic of Ireland, and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences in Wales – analysed various Miscanthus genotypes to identify traits that provided insight into gene adaptation and regulation during water stress. They found specific genes that play key roles in response to water stress across different Miscanthus species, and saw consistencies with functional biological processes that are critical during the survival of drought stress in other organisms.