Sorghum as a game changer in biofuel

Sorghum outshines soybeans in oil yield

Researchers at CABBI have achieved a major milestone by developing sorghum that produces more oil than soybeans, marking a breakthrough for renewable energy sources. 

The engineered sorghum can accumulate 5.5% dry weight oil in its leaves and 3.5% in stems under field conditions. This production level is 78 times higher than unmodified sorghum and yields 1.4 times more oil per hectare than soybeans. 

The team utilized a “push-pull-protect” strategy to redirect carbon into oil production while protecting it from degradation. This approach, combined with sorghum’s drought tolerance and high biomass yield, makes it an ideal crop for sustainable farming. 

"This work is the culmination of a large team effort that demonstrates how fundamental research can be used to develop new crop feedstocks to address global energy demands," said Edgar Cahoon, Director of the Center for Plant Science Innovation at University of Nebraska. 

This innovation supports the global demand for renewable fuels like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel while reducing dependence on traditional oil crops. Farmers could benefit from new income streams and markets, boosting rural economies. 

"The basis for further improvement of TAG yields will depend on in-depth analysis of the effects of the 'push-pull-protect' metabolic engineering approach applied in the study," said Jörg Schwender, Senior Scientist of the Plant Science Group at Brookhaven National Laboratory and another corresponding author on the paper. "For example, in the current study, the team used whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (or RNA sequencing), a technique that analyzes the activity of thousands of genes at the same time in tissue samples." 

The researchers aim to enhance oil yields further using advanced genetic techniques to make sorghum a reliable feedstock for biofuel production. With continuous improvements, this innovation could transform the future of renewable energy.

Photo Credit: vista-mipan