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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Genetics and Breeding Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208631
Title: Genotypic Evaluation of Bermudagrass for Conversion to Ethanol

Author
item Anderson, William - Bill
item Dien, Bruce
item PETERSON, JOY - UNIV OF GA
item Akin, Danny

Submitted to: Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2007
Publication Date: 4/28/2007
Citation: Anderson, W.F., Dien, B.S., Peterson, J., Akin, D.E. 2007. Genotypic Evaluation of Bermudagrass for Conversion to Ethanol. Proceedings: 29th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Denver, CO, April 29-May 2, 2007.

Interpretive Summary: not required

Technical Abstract: Bermudagrass is a staple pasture and hay grass for the cattle and horse industries throughout the South. This perennial warm-season grass is also considered a good candidate as a feedstock for the conversion of cellulose to ethanol. The significant genetic improvements of rumen digestibility in bermudagrass along with increased yields over the last half century indicate that reduction in the recalcitrance of the cell wall can be achieved without reduction of yield or persistence. Standard and improved pre-treatment of raw plant material and subsequent conversion to ethanol was performed on bermudagrass germplasm with variability in rumen digestibility. A low stringency conversion protocol was used to compare genotypes for ethanol production and was correlated with rumen digestibility, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber data. Implications as to breeding and evaluation of bermudagrass as well as how it may relate to other grass species feedstocks for the ligno-cellulose conversion to ethanol will be discussed.