/PRNewswire/ The "Next Generation Sequencing Kits Market: Distribution by Type of Nucleotide Sequenced, Type of End User and Key Geographies - Industry.
USDA ARS
ARS geneticist Sarah Hake and University of California, Berkeley colleague George Chuck study juvenile traits of corngrass. They have found that inserting a specific corngrass gene into switchgrass keeps it in its juvenile form. Scientists from WSU, UC, Arizona involved in ongoing effort to improve the emerging bioenergy crop switchgrass.
Feb 22, 2021
Researchers from Washington State University, the University of California and the Arizona Genomics Institute are part of a large team that announced the genome sequence for switchgrass, a major bioenergy crop.
Laura Bartley, an associate professor in WSU’s Institute of Biological Chemistry, worked for 15 years on the project, which could lead to larger, easier to process switchgrass plants.
Switchgrass is a sturdy perennial having deep roots and grows throughout the country from Canada to Mexico. It is a crucial component of the tallgrass prairie habitats of central North America. It has the ability to reach heights measuring 12 feet in certain regions and is utilized to regulate erosion, as a game cover, and as food for cattle at times.
However, it can be most significantly used as a source of biofuel, which is a critical component to reduce atmospheric carbon levels and fighting climate change. The study’s utmost aim is to develop high-yielding varieties of switchgrass that correspond to one or more of the several different climates and eco-regions of the United States.
January 28, 2021
A field technician wrestling a large switchgrass plant during fall harvest (photo credit: Jason Bonnette).
A Washington State University researcher is part of a large team that announced the genome sequence for switchgrass, a major bioenergy crop.
Laura Bartley, an associate professor in WSU’s Institute of Biological Chemistry, worked for 15 years on the project, which could lead to larger, easier to process switchgrass plants.
“Making switchgrass cultivars more economically successful and competitive is a key to decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels,” Bartley said.
Gardeners and farmers around the country recognize that crop varieties grow best in certain regions. Most plant species have adapted to their local environments; for example, crop and ornamental seeds sold for the upper Midwest are often very different than those bred for Texas. Identifying and breeding varieties that have high productivity across a range of environments is becoming increas
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IMAGE: Scientists new complex genome analysis of switchgrass could be a game-changer for use of the cheap, widely available plant as a source of biofuel. Shown here is lowland switchgrass ready. view more
Credit: Jason Bonnette, The University of Texas at Austin
Biologists believe they are one step closer to a long-held goal of making a cheap, widely available plant a source for energy and fuel, meaning one of the next big weapons in the battle against climate change may be able to trace its roots to the side of a Texas highway.
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other institutions have published a complex genome analysis of switchgrass, a promising biofuel crop.