Breeding High Energy Super-Sorghum Promising

Mendel Biotechnology and MMR Genetics are collaborating to create a new "super-sorghum" for biofuels and biomass.

MMR Genetics and Mendel will jointly establish a bioenergy nursery, which will be used to breed new, high-performing sorghum cultivars with unique biofuels characteristics. Richardson Seeds will produce commercial quantities of selected cultivars.

..."Sorghum has the genetic potential - because of its yield capacities, adaptation ranges, and germplasm diversity - to provide superior second-generation biofuels and assist in alleviating dependence on fossil energy sources,” said Dr. Fred Miller, senior sorghum breeder and owner of MMR Genetics. “MMR Genetics and Mendel will be able to move our high quality forage and biomass programs to exciting new levels through our association by creating tailor-made commercial feedstocks for these new markets.”

Under the terms of the agreement, MMR Genetics will contribute germplasm, breeding know-how and services, and nursery operations; Mendel will provide funding and research and breeding assistance and will have exclusive commercial rights to selected cultivars. Richardson Seeds will provide seed production research and produce commercial quantities of selected cultivars. __BioenergyCheckBiotech

Such biotech applications of gene engineering to biofuel feedstock should yield fairly quick results. Anyone judging the future of biofuels upon current maize-to-ethanol processes is apt to miss the mark quite badly.