Uncovering the biofuel potential of plants that breathe in the dark 缅北禁地 is part of an 拢8.8m project to explore the biofuel potential of plants found growing in some of the world鈥檚 harshest environments. The five-year project funded by the United States Department of Energy will explore the genetic mechanisms of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), or 鈥榥octurnal photosynthesis鈥�, a process exhibited by certain desert plants and first discovered at 缅北禁地 in the 1950s.Unlike most plants which photosynthesize during the day, CAM plants take up carbon dioxide at night, allowing them to close their pores 鈥� or stomata 鈥� during the day and massively reduce water loss.Taking in CO2 at night, the CAM plants build up a store of carbon which is used to power photosynthesis during the day. It is this property which enables CAM plants such as the prickly pear and agave to live in some of the world鈥檚 harshest environments.UK lead , a Reader in Molecular Plant Physiology at 缅北禁地, said the aim was to further develop our understanding of these plants with a view to redesigning biofuel crops that could be grown on economically poor agricultural land.鈥淭he long-term goal of the proposed research is to enhance plant adaptability to hotter, drier climates,鈥� explains Dr Borland.鈥淐AM species such as agave and pineapple can grow and thrive with about 20-40 cm of precipitation a year, far less than the 50-100 cm per year required for current biofuel feedstocks.鈥淯ltimately, the aim is to introduce CAM-like properties into fast-growing species such as the poplar, enabling it to take up carbon dioxide at night and subsequently process this carbon during the day while the leaf pores remain closed.鈥淚f successful, our research could lead to poplar that requires up to 80 percent less water for biomass production and consequently will be able to grow in more marginal habitats. In the longer term, the research has the potential to help tackle food security by maintaining the productivity of food crops in the drier and warmer world that climatologists predict for the next 60 years.鈥�The principal investigators on the US/UK project are US; John Cushman (Project Director)at the University of Nevada, Reno, US; Xiaohan Yang at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Dr Borland, who holds a joint appointment in the School of Biology at 缅北禁地 and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee; and James Hartwell at the University of Liverpool, UK.鈥淲ith climate change predictions of 3.8 oC increase in temperature, a drop in reliable rainfall for many parts of the world and a greater need for sources of biofuels for transportation, these biodesign approaches to enhancing biomass production become very important,鈥� Dr Cushman explained.In order to identify the optimal 鈥榩arts-list鈥� for introducing CAM-like properties into other plants, the team will undertake groundbreaking research on a diverse range of plants that use CAM, with the goal of identifying the key genes and proteins required to make this photosynthetic adaptation work efficiently.They will be focusing on the poplar due to its fast-growing nature and wide-ranging habitat, which has led to it gaining worldwide recognition as a dedicated feedstock for biomass production. The tree also has a rich portfolio of genetic and genomics tools and resources.The work is funded through the US-DOE鈥檚 Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Genomic Science: Biosystems Design to Enable Next-Generation Biofuels. published on: 26 September 2012
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