Bioenergy Feedstocks Breeding and Genetics

Bioenergy and biofuels are generated from a wide variety of feedstock. Fuels have been converted from a wide range of sources from vegetable oils to grains and sugarcane. Second generation biofuels are being developed around dedicated, non-food energy crops, such as switchgrass and Miscanthus, with an eye toward bioenergy sustainability.  Bioenergy Feedstocks: Breeding and Genetics looks at advances in our understanding of the genetics and breeding practices across this diverse range of crops and provides readers with a valuable tool to improve cultivars and increase energy crop yields.

Bioenergy Feedstocks: Breeding and Genetics opens with chapters focusing primarily on advances in the genetics and molecular biology of dedicated energy crops. These chapters provide in-depth coverage of new, high-potential feedstocks. The remaining chapters provide valuable overview of breeding efforts of current feedstocks with specific attention paid to the development of bioenergy traits. Coverage in these chapters includes crops such as sorghum, energy canes, corn, and other grasses and forages.

The final chapters explore the role of transgenics in bioenergy feedstock production and the development of low-input strategies for producing bioenergy crops. A timely collection of work from a global team of bioenergy researchers and crop scientists, Bioenergy Feedstocks: Breeding and Genetics is an essential reference on cultivar improvement of biomass feedstock crops.

Malay C. Saha is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of the Molecular Markers Lab, Forage Improvement Division at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, OK.

Hem S. Bhandari is an Assistant Professor of Bioenergy/Biomass Feedstock Breeding and Genetics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

Joseph H. Bouton is the former Director and Senior Vice President, Forage Improvement Division, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OKand Emeritus Professor of Crop and Soil Sciences at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

List of Contributors

Preface

1 Introduction

1.1 Historical Development

1.2 Cultivar Development

1.3 Breeding Approach

1.4 Molecular Tools

1.5 Future Outlook

References

2 Switchgrass Genetics and Breeding Challenges

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Origin and Distribution

2.3 Growth and Development, Genome Structure and Cytogenetics

2.3.1 Growth and Development

2.3.2 Genome Structure and Cytogenetics

2.4 Genetic Diversity

2.5 Phenotypic Variability and Inheritance

2.6 Conventional Breeding Approaches

2.6.1 Early Work

2.6.2 Systematic Recurrent Selection

2.6.3 Heterosis

2.7 Molecular Breeding

2.7.1 Molecular Markers Used for Switchgrass and Other Polyploids

2.7.2 Molecular Mapping

2.7.3 Association Mapping

2.7.4 Transgenic Approaches

2.8 Conclusions and Future Directions

References

3 Switchgrass Genomics

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Genome Sequencing

3.2.1 Other Available Sequence Resources

3.3 Analysis of Expressed Sequences in Switchgrass

3.4 Linkage Mapping

3.5 Cytoplasmic Genome

3.6 Genome-enabled Improvement of Switchgrass

3.7 Conclusions

References

4 Germplasm Resources of Miscanthus and Their Application in Breeding

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Species Belong to Miscanthus Genus, Their Characteristics, and Phylogenetic Relationships

4.2.1 Section: Eumiscanthus

4.2.2 Section: Triarrhena

4.2.3 Section: Kariyasu

4.3 Natural Hybrids between Miscanthus Species

4.4 Karyotype Analysis

4.5 Phylogenetic Relationships between Miscanthus Species

4.6 Genetic Improvement of Miscanthus

4.6.1 Germplasm Collection and Management

4.6.2 Artificial Hybridization

4.6.3 Polyploidization

4.7 Variations in Several Agronomical Traits Related to Yield and Plant Performance

4.7.1 Variation in Flowering Time

4.7.2 Variation in Cold Tolerance

4.7.3 Variation in Lignin, Cellulose, and Mineral Content

4.8 Molecular Resources

4.8.1 Development of Linkage Map for Miscanthus

4.8.2 QTL Analysis of Traits Related to Yield and Mineral Content

4.8.3 Molecular Markers for Hybrids Identification

4.9 Transgenic Miscanthus

4.10 Future Studies

References

5 Breeding Miscanthus for Bioenergy

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Miscanthus as a Biomass Crop

5.3 Breeding Strategy

5.3.1 Collection and Characterization

5.3.2 Hybridization

5.3.3Ex Situ Phenotypic Characterization

5.3.4 Large-scale Demonstration Trials

5.4 Genetic Diversity

5.5 Breeding Targets

5.5.1 Biomass Yield

5.5.2 Morphological Traits Contributing to High Yield Potential

5.5.3 Seed Propagation: Crop Diversification and Reducing the Cost of Establishment

5.6 Incorporating Bioinformatics, Molecular Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS), and Genome-Wide Association Selection (GWAS)

5.7 Summary

Acknowledgments

References

6 Breeding Sorghum as a Bioenergy Crop

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Botanical Description and Evolution

6.2.1 Basic Characteristics

6.2.2 Evolution and Distribution

6.3 Traditional Breeding and Development

6.3.1 Initial Sorghum Improvement

6.3.2 Development of Hybrid Sorghum and Heterosis

6.3.3 Current Sorghum Breeding Approaches

6.3.4 Germplasm Resources

6.4 Approaches to Breeding Sorghum as a Bioenergy Crop

6.4.1 Grain Sorghum

6.4.2 Sweet Sorghum

6.4.3 Biomass Sorghum

6.5 Composition in Energy Sorghum Breeding

6.6 Genetic Variation and Inheritance

6.6.1 Grain Sorghum

6.6.2 Grain Quality/Starch Composition

6.6.3 Dual Purpose—Grain and Stalk

6.6.4 Soluble Carbohydrates

6.6.5 Breeding for Stress Tolerance

6.7 Wide Hybridization

6.7.1 Interspecific Hybridization

6.7.2 Intergeneric Hybridization

6.8 Conclusions

References

7 Energy Cane

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Sugar and Energy Production Systems

7.2.1 Current Global Sugarcane Production

7.2.2 Bioenergy Production from Sugarcane in Brazil

7.2.3 Overview of Main Components in Existing Sugarcane Production Systems

7.2.4 Overview and Potential Trends

7.3 Sugarcane Improvement

7.3.1 Taxonomy and Crop Physiology

7.3.2 History of Sugarcane Breeding

7.3.3 Basic Features of Sugarcane Breeding Programs

7.3.4 Composition of Cane for Sugar or Energy Production

7.3.5 Application of Molecular Genetics in Developing Energy Cane

7.4 Selection of Sugarcane Genotypes for Energy Production

7.4.1 Overall Directions

7.4.2 Example of Economic Weightings for Selecting Sugarcane for Energy Products

7.4.3 Progress in Breeding for Energy Production

7.5 Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References

8 Breeding Maize for Lignocellulosic Biofuel Production

8.1 Introduction

8.2 General Attributes of Maize as a Biofuel Crop

8.3 Potential Uses of Maize Stover for Bioenergy

8.4 Breeding Maize for Biofuels

8.4.1 Selection Criteria

8.4.2 Stover Yield

8.4.3 Maximum Biomass Yield and the Effects of Time and Latitude

8.4.4 Stover Quality

8.4.5 Sustainability Parameters

8.4.6 Breeding Methods

8.5 Single Genes and Transgenes

8.6 Future Outlook

References

9 Underutilized Grasses

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Prairie Cordgrass

9.2.1 Importance

9.2.2 Genetic Variation and Breeding Methods

9.2.3 Future Goals

9.3 Bluestems

9.3.1 Importance

9.3.2 Genetic Variation and Breeding Methods

9.3.3 Future Goals

9.4 Eastern Gamagrass

9.4.1 Importance

9.4.2 Genetic Variation and Breeding Methods

9.4.3 Future Goals

References

10 Alfalfa as a Bioenergy Crop

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Biomass for Biofuels

10.2.1 Lignocellulose-based Biofuels

10.2.2 Plant Cell Wall Components

10.3 Why Alfalfa?

10.3.1Background

10.3.2 Prospect as a Biofuel Feedstock

10.4 Breeding Strategies

10.4.1 Germplasm Resources

10.4.2 Cultivar Development

10.4.3 Synthetic Cultivars and Heterosis

10.4.4 Molecular Breeding

10.4.5 Trait Integration Through Biotechnology

10.5 Breeding Targets

10.5.1 Biomass Yield

10.5.2 Forage Quality and Composition

10.5.3 Stress Tolerance

10.5.4 Winter Hardiness

10.6 Management and Production Inputs

10.7 Processing for Biofuels

10.8 Additional Value from Alfalfa Production

10.8.1 Environmental Benefits

10.8.2 Alfalfa Co-products

10.9 Summary

Acknowledgments

References

11 Transgenics for Biomass

11.1 Introduction

11.1.1 Biomass for Biofuels

11.1.2 Biofuels

11.1.3 Lignocellulosic Biomass

11.2 Transgenic Approaches

11.2.1 Biolistics Transformation

11.2.2 Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation

11.3 Transgenic Approaches for Biomass Improvement

11.3.1 Improving Biomass Yield

11.3.2 Modifying Biomass Composition

11.3.3 Regulatory Issues of Transgenic Bioenergy Crops

11.4 Summary

Acknowledgments

References

12 Endophytes in Low-input Agriculture and Plant Biomass Production

12.1 Introduction

12.2 What are Endophytes?

12.3 Endophytes of Cool Season Grasses

12.4 Endophytes of Warm Season Grasses

12.5 Endophytes of Woody Angiosperms

12.6 Other Fungal Endophytes

12.7 Endophytes in Biomass Crop Production

12.8 The Use of Fungal Endophytes in Bioenergy Crop Production Systems

12.9 Endophyte Consortia

12.10 Source of Novel Compounds

12.11 Endophyte in Genetic Engineering of Host Plants

12.12 Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Index

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