Researchers report advances on biomass crop problems

FarmWeek - Illinois Farm Bureau
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
BY KAY SHIPMAN

Scientists reported advances to challenges of biomass crop production at the University of Illinois annual Bioenergy Feedstocks Symposium last week in Urbana. They focused on miscanthus and switchgrass research.

Genetic improvements: Jack Juvik, U of I plant genetics professor, and his colleagues are extracting genetic material from the sterile miscanthus to learn its parent plants. “This is important information if you’re trying to design a plant breeding program,” Juvik said.

Juvik and other researchers are working with the most likely miscanthus parents in attempts to produce a hybrid. “To date, we haven’t generated a single hybrid with viable seed,” he said.

Read the full story