The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $64 million in funding for 25 university-led genomics research projects on plants and microbes for bioenergy and bioproducts.
The plant research—12 projects totaling $29 million over three years—focuses on expanding knowledge of gene function in plants to be grown for bioenergy and bioproducts. The aim is to pinpoint the connection between specific regions of plant genomes and particular plant traits, so that features such as drought resistance and crop yield can be improved.
The microbe research—13 projects totaling $35 million over three years—aims at better understanding of how communities of microbes cycle nutrients in soil and the environment. The goal is to illuminate the critical role of microbes in shaping Earth’s environment. In the process, the research is expected to shed light on soil processes that could impact the growth of potential bioenergy crops.
Most projects are collaborations involving researchers from several institutions; many include one or more DOE national laboratories as partners.
Speaking of microbes and crops, Gevo recently announced its partnership with Locus Agricultural Solutions® (Locus AG) to trial a new technology, developed by Locus AG that is expected to improve capture of soil carbon, reduce applied nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve yield. Locus AG’s Rhizolizer® is a line of non-GMO soil “probiotic” treatments which are produced from microorganisms and tailored to meet the needs of local farmers. Rhizolizer has been used to treat 40,000 commercial agriculture acres across several crops, with reported positive results in improving crop productivity, crop quality, vigor, and sustainability. Treatments are now being tested on Gevo’s 30-acre farm co-located at its Luverne, MN facility.
I recently had an interview with Locus AG’s sister company, Locus Bio-Energy Solutions about its fermentation-based surfactant products for the oil and gas market. Most of the interview will be featured in next month’s Tecnon OrbiChem’s Biomaterials newsletter but I will try to write a bit about the company on the blog as soon as I can.
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