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Michelle O Malley(link is external) has long been inspired by gut microbes. Since she began studying the herbivore digestive tract, the UC Santa Barbara chemical engineering professor has guided several students to their doctoral degrees, won early and mid-career awards (including a recognition from President Obama), attained tenure and advanced to the position of full professor. She even had three children along the way. A constant through it all: goat poop. This has been the longest single effort in my lab, said O Malley, who with her research team way back in 2015 first embarked on an ambitious project to characterize gut microbes in large herbivores. The purpose? To understand how these animals manage, via their microbiomes, to extract energy from plant material, particularly the fibrous, non-food parts, where sugars are locked behind tough plant cell walls. Understanding this process could reveal methods for extracting the raw materials necessary for a wide variety
(Department of Energy/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/EurekAlert) … Identifying and breeding varieties that have high productivity across a range of environments is becoming increasingly important for food, fuel and other applications, and breeders aren’t interested in waiting decades to develop new crops.
One example is an ongoing collaborative effort to improve the emerging bioenergy crop switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), which has established 10 experimental gardens located in eight states spread across 1,100 miles. Switchgrass is a perennial grass that quickly grows in a variety of soils and water conditions, standing taller than basketball star LeBron James. In each garden, switchgrass plants clonally propagated from cuttings represent a diverse collection sourced from half of the United States.
Community effort yields reference switchgrass genome, environmental adaptations data
Michigan State University plant biology researcher David Lowry is part of a study that examines the use of switchgrass in fighting climate change to improve crop growth.
Going against gardening advice are 10 identical plots located in eight states spread across 1,100 miles. These gardens are all growing the exact same 700-odd switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum) plants, sourced from half the country and clonally propagated, to help assess the plant’s adaptability to various environmental conditions. Switchgrass is a perennial grass that quickly and easily grows to more than twice the height of basketball star LeBron James in a variety of soils and water conditions.
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
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Synthetic biology produces fabrics, food, biofuels, health products and more, but we need better predictive power. Machine learning can help and be used to design pathways or choose promoters to optimize production for example. Hector Garcia Martin, Deputy VP of Biofuels and Bioproducts at the Joint BioEnergy Institute shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC that covers the opportunities in the intersection of machine learning, synthetic biology, and automation. READ MORE
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