Agave: a biofuel feedstock for arid and semi-arid environments
Conference
·
OSTI ID:1050653
Efficient production of plant-based, lignocellulosic biofuels relies upon continued improvement of existing biofuel feedstock species, as well as the introduction of newfeedstocks capable of growing on marginal lands to avoid conflicts with existing food production and minimize use of water and nitrogen resources. To this end, specieswithin the plant genus Agave have recently been proposed as new biofuel feedstocks. Many Agave species are adapted to hot and arid environments generally unsuitable forfood production, yet have biomass productivity rates comparable to other second-generation biofuel feedstocks such as switchgrass and Miscanthus. Agavesachieve remarkable heat tolerance and water use efficiency in part through a Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) mode of photosynthesis, but the genes andregulatory pathways enabling CAM and thermotolerance in agaves remain poorly understood. We seek to accelerate the development of agave as a new biofuelfeedstock through genomic approaches using massively-parallel sequencing technologies. First, we plan to sequence the transcriptome of A. tequilana to provide adatabase of protein-coding genes to the agave research community. Second, we will compare transcriptome-wide gene expression of agaves under different environmentalconditions in order to understand genetic pathways controlling CAM, water use efficiency, and thermotolerance. Finally, we aim to compare the transcriptome of A.tequilana with that of other Agave species to gain further insight into molecular mechanisms underlying traits desirable for biofuel feedstocks. These genomicapproaches will provide sequence and gene expression information critical to the breeding and domestication of Agave species suitable for biofuel production.
- Research Organization:
- Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Genomics Division
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1050653
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-4788E-Poster
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Transcriptome Analysis of Drought-Tolerant CAM plants Agave deserti and Agave tequilana
Transcriptome Sequencing of Agave angustifolia Reveals Conservation and Diversification in the Expression of Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenase Genes in Agave Species
Conference
·
Mon Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013
·
OSTI ID:1171821
Transcriptome Sequencing of Agave angustifolia Reveals Conservation and Diversification in the Expression of Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenase Genes in Agave Species
Journal Article
·
Sun Jul 10 20:00:00 EDT 2022
· Agriculture
·
OSTI ID:1879948