by Bevin Fletcher (Bioscience Technology)  Some semi-arid plants use a specific type of photosynthesis known as crassulacean acid metabolism, or CAM, to conserve water and flourish in semi-arid climates.  Now scientists at the Department of …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The Regional Feedstock Partnership (the Partnership)—a multi-institutional collaboration of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, representatives from land-grant universities, and industry—was first established to address issues …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …  Proof positive on the “best is yet to come” — check out the Danforth Plant Science Center. It’s tucked away in the major agri-complex that built up around Monsanto …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioenergy Feedstock Library is a physical sample repository and database for physical, chemical and conversion performance characteristics of biomass feedstock.
The library provides tools to store, record, track, retrieve, and analyze data to help …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …  It’s Toy Story all over again. You remember Woody’s struggle to avoid being tossed onto the shelf when Buzz Lightyear arrives.  So it is with biotechnology. It takes years, …

(Eco-Business/Centre for Jatropha Promotion & Biodiesel (CJP))   … A time when many industries are shrinking or closing down altogether, Moringa plantation and value addition management continues to expand and grow. For one, Moringa has proven …

by Bill Rooney (Biofuels Digest/Texas A&M)  Sorghum has been identified by the US Department of Energy as an energy crop of interest. Owing to its high biomass yield, drought tolerance, established production systems, carbon life cycle, genetic resources and potential for further …

(University of Illinois/Biomass Magazine)  The University of Illinois has been awarded a 3-year, $5 million grant from the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy as part of its OPEN 2015 funding initiative (ARPA-E OPEN). Under Principal Investigator …

by Whip Villarreal (University of Nevada, Reno)  College of Ag, Biotech and Natural Resources leads research project at University of Nevada, Reno  —  Glenn Miller is leading the effort in a project at the University of …

by Kay Ledbetter (AgriLife Today)  Dr. Russ Jessup, an AgriLife Research perennial grass breeder in College Station, said he is introducing a new biofuel-biomass feedstock that is a hybrid “similar to seedless watermelons, seedless grapes …

(HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology)  Jeremy Schmutz, faculty investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how switchgrass plants adapt to drought stress. Schmutz, who co-directs …

by Nicholas Bergin (Lincoln Journal Star)  Sorghum, a grass with a colorful seed about the size of a BB, was selling at more than a dollar a bushel above corn thanks to China’s voracious appetite …

by Anmar Frangoul (CNBC.com)  In 2012 – almost 100 years since the Wright brothers made history – another historic flight took place when the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) flew what it described as, “The …

by Alexander Cornwell (Gulf News Aviation )  Boeing, together with Etihad Airways, Takreer, Masdar and Total, has been working since January 2014 to develop biofuel in emirate —
An initiative to produce environmentally friendly aviation jet fuel …

by Eric Mortenson (Capital Press)  The recent drop in oil prices put the brakes on biofuel production, but industry insiders believe in the long-term promise of the technology. — It’s like leasing ground to the future. On …

(USDA Agricultural Research Service/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  USDA scientist is providing much needed guidance to sorghum farmers in the Texas High Plains who are trying to save water by using less-than-optimal amounts of it.
Farmers in the area …

by Jack Busby (ChemistryWorld/Scientific American)  Plants on arid land, rather than food crops like corn, could be turned into gasoline, new research shows
New analysis from UK researchers suggests a previously overlooked group of plants could …

by Kelli Fulkerson (Ethanol Producer Magazine/National Sorghum Producers)  Producers work to expand markets for sorghum distillers and oil.
While exports are undeniably the hottest market for grain sorghum right now with China set to buy over …

by Kayla Wilkins (High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal)  Strong demand from both domestic and international markets is sending strong signals to growers, indicating it is prime time to increase grain sorghum acres. This strong demand established …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Next-gen feedstock developer records 1000% year-on-year growth for its Palo Alto Biomass Sorghum hybrids in Brazil.  Sustainable, available, reliable and affordable? Yes, as the Digest discovers.  In California, NexSteppe announced …

Author, Dan Quadros, in Auburn, Alabama.

by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA)  After two days (February 2-3, 2015) in “Sweet Home Alabama” at Auburn University, we got overwhelmed with the most recent discoveries of …

by Chris Woolston (Bioenergy Connection)  With its crown of pink blossoms, the humble seashore mallow may look unassuming, even delicate. But when it comes to brutal environments, this seaside shrub is no pushover.  Seashore Mallow …

(US Department of Agriculture)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (July 17, 2014) announced the selection of 10 projects that are being awarded funding aimed at accelerating …

(Ceres)  Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE), an agricultural biotechnology and seed company, will evaluate a number of its biotech traits in sugarcane in South America. Plantings were recently completed and preliminary performance observations will be available …

by Dennis Pollock (Western Farm Press)  Salinity and scarcity of water were very much in the spotlight at the 2014 California Plant and Soil Conference in Fresno.
Multiple speakers showed pictures of what they labeled “California snow,” …

by Chris Woolston  (Bioenergy Connection)  … If you drove around certain parts of the Midwest this summer, you might have seen patches of energy grass or tall, green sorghum flourishing amid the ruined corn and soybeans. …

by Ken Anderson (Browfield Ag News)  A combination of dry weather and increased demand from the ethanol sector could have grain sorghum poised for a comeback in Nebraska.
Grain sorghum plantings in the state plummeted from 550-thousand …

(Chromatin)  Chromatin, Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, said today it has entered into an agreement with POET, LLC, one of the world’s largest ethanol producers, to …

(Science Daily)  With projections of 9.5 billion people by 2050, humankind faces the challenge of feeding modern diets to additional mouths while using the same amounts of water, fertilizer and arable land as today.
Cornell researchers …

(Chromatin/MarketWatch)  Chromatin, Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, and Calgren Renewable Fuels, a leading ethanol producer located in Pixley, CA, announced today an alliance to develop a …

(Chromatin/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Chromatin Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, and Aemetis Inc., an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, have announced that they have entered into …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  When headlines run dire, ask yourself: are they real?   In today’s Digest, we give you a guide to managing the myth minefield — and the roaring trade in disinformation …