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WVU biology professor to study the genetics of biomass accumulation for bioenergy

Jennifer Hawkins hopes her study will assist in the engineering or breeding of plants for biomass accumulation.  Photo by West Virginia University

June 27, 2014 - Jennifer Hawkins, assistant professor of biology at West Virginia University, is working with a team of researchers from Oklahoma State University, the University of California—Berkeley, and Brigham Young University to examine the genetic controls of tillering in corn, sorghum and foxtail millet.

The project is funded by a $3.2M grant from the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Program.

"An understanding of the genetic controls of tiller growth and development will assist in the engineering or breeding of plants for biomass accumulation. These plants could become valuable bioenergy crops," Hawkins says.

Using traditional genetic research methods, Hawkins will sequence the genomes of a population of sorghum plants to see which genetic components most often associate with the presence of multiple branches, or tillers.

"During the domestication process, humans selected plants for high grain production," Hawkins notes. "Growing as many plants as possible in the smallest area results in more grain per acre, but also often leads to reduced tillering. Domesticated plants are, therefore, excellent models for studying tillering because they can be directly compared to their wild ancestors that produce abundant tillers and generate large amounts of biomass."

Sorghum is a potential energy crop that offers the opportunity to produce a considerable amount of biomass in a short growing season. Similarly corn, which uses the same farming practices, is a well-known producer of considerable amounts of the biomass that can be converted into various forms of biofuel.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced up to $14.5M in funding for bioenergy programs made available through the 2014 Farm Bill.

July 16, 2014  By West Virginia University