News tagged with energy crop

Maps of Miscanthus genome offer insight into grass evolution

Miscanthus grasses are used in gardens, burned for heat and energy, and converted into liquid fuels. They also belong to a prominent grass family that includes corn, sorghum and sugarcane. Two new, indepe ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

When the soil holds not enough phosphorus: Scientists describe new transporter in cells of plant roots

Plants cannot survive without phosphorus. It forms the backbone of many crucial molecules (such as DNA) and is a key player in energy transfer reactions. Low availability of phosphorus is a major environmental ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 15, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientist: when it comes to energy crops, do the math

The successful conversion of crops to fuel is all about the math, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

Biology / Other

created May 15, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

How the ecological risks of extended bioenergy production can be reduced

For years experts have discussed the ecological impact of the extended cultivation of energy crops. Scientists have now developed a computer model that allows assessing the impacts and comparing the effectiveness ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Apr 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Is bioenergy expansion harmful to wildlife?

Despite the predicted environmental benefits of biofuels, converting land to grow bioenergy crops may harm native wildlife. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig have developed a way to ...

Biology / Ecology

created Apr 03, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

First complete full genetic map of miscanthus - promising energy crop

Researchers in Wales and the United States have collaborated to complete the first high-resolution, comprehensive genetic map of a promising energy crop called miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis). The results – published in the ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Mar 19, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Green fuel versus black gold: Is bioethanol more environmentally benign option to petroleum-derived fuels?

A life cycle assessment of growing crops for fuel as opposed to refining and using fossil fuels has revealed that substitution of gasoline by bioethanol converted from energy crops has considerable potential for rendering ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Feb 24, 2012 | popularity 1.3 / 5 (3) | comments 3

Man-made photosynthesis to revolutionize food and energy production

Improving natural photosynthesis to make new fuels and boost crop production is the focus of new research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting today. It could see us one ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 17, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (9) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Findings prove Miscanthus x giganteus has great potential as an alternative energy source

Concerns about the worldwide energy supply and national, environmental and economic security have resulted in a search for alternative energy sources. A new University of Illinois study shows Miscanthus x ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 19, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 3

Comparing energy conversion of plants and solar cells

Scientists now have a way to more accurately compare how efficiently plants and photovoltaic, or solar, cells convert sunlight into energy, thanks to findings by a research consortium that included a U.S. ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jan 16, 2012 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Sunn hemp shows promise as biofuel source

Work by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests that farmers in the Southeast could use the tropical legume sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) in their crop rotations by harvesting the ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 04, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Switchgrass as bioenergy feedstock

Scientists examined current knowledge about the potential contributions of bioenergy production from switchgrass to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Their findings, published in GCB Bioenergy, conclude that the use of swi ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Dec 09, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Report suggests biomass energy won't harm food production

(PhysOrg.com) -- Biomass could cover 20% of the global energy supply without harming production of food, a new report released in the United Kingdom says. Reviewing over 90 international studies, the report was produced by ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 02, 2011 | popularity 1.7 / 5 (3) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Gene controlling flowering boosts energy production from sorghum

A sorghum hybrid that does not flower and accumulates as much as three times the amount of stem and leaf matter may help the bioenergy industry, according to a study appearing today in the Proceedings of th ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Sep 27, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Protecting wild species may require growing more food on less land: study

In parts of the world still rich in biodiversity, separating natural habitats from high-yielding farmland could be a more effective way to conserve wild species than trying to grow crops and conserve nature on the same land, ...

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 01, 2011 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 2 | with audio podcast