Author
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Cobill, Robert |
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Submitted to: Sugar Journal
Publication Type: Trade Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 9/20/2007 Publication Date: 11/5/2007 Citation: Cobill, R.M. 2007. Development of Energy Canes for an Expanding Biofuels Industry. Sugar Journal. 70(6):6. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: In the past 20 years, oil prices have increased from near $20 per barrel in the 1990s to over $70 per barrel in the 2000s. The rising cost of oil has caused a significant increase in interest in the utilization of renewable resources for biofuels production. In his 2007 State of the Union address, President Bush announced the goal to reduce gasoline usage by increasing the utilization of renewable and alternative fuels, such as ethanol, to 35 billion gallons by 2017. To meet this goal alternative feedstocks for the production of ethanol will have to be identified. Several grasses are under consideration in the U.S. to support a developing cellulosic ethanol industry because of their abilities to produce the large quantities of plant fiber needed to support the continuous operation of these facilities. Among these are: switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum) and high-fiber sugarcane (Saccharum complex). The obvious advantage to using the high biomass-yielding grasses as dedicated bioenergy crops is that they will require shorter distances for transport and have less of an impact on food prices. In April 2007, scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Services Sugarcane Research Lab along with scientists from the Louisiana State University’s Agricultural Center’s Agricultural Experiment Station (LSUAC) and the American Sugar Cane League of the U.S.A., Inc, jointly released three “high-fiber” sugarcane varieties (L 79-1002, HoCP 91-552, and Ho 00-961) as candidate feedstocks for the U.S. biofuels industry (a.k.a. energy canes). Breeding efforts and agronomic studies are underway at the SRL to develop even higher biomass-yielding sugar cane varieties that possess greater levels of cold tolerance that would also allow for a longer harvest season. The culture of these energy canes is anticipated to have the greatest impact in non-traditional sugarcane producing areas of the U.S. particularly in areas of the Southeastern U.S. where corn yields are low. To establish this geographic range of adaptation, evaluations of candidate energy cane varieties are being conducted in a regional study in states across the Southeastern U.S. including: Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Through this regional testing it is anticipated that varieties will be identified that are better adapted to more northerly latitudes. |
