Second Year Data from Field Trial of Mendel Miscanthus Varieties Show Lead Product Candidates on Track to Meet or Exceed Commercial Targets
19 May 2010
Mendel BioEnergy Seeds, a division of Mendel Biotechnology, Inc., announced that average two-year yields of its numerous varieties of Miscanthus indicate that Mendel’s lead product candidates are on track to meet or exceed current commercial targets for biomass production from dedicated energy crops.
The most promising yields reported were from Mendel’s proprietary varieties of Miscanthus giganteus, a sterile, non-invasive species. Miscanthus is a genus of high-yielding perennial grass that has shown promise as a sustainable source of renewable energy.
Mendel reported yield results from its field trial network throughout the southeastern and midwestern US which showed that average biomass yields among all Miscanthus giganteus (MxG) varieties outperformed the average measured yield of all switchgrass entries.
Additionally, an advanced product candidate released last year from Mendel’s breeding program, MBX-002, demonstrated significant more biomass production in statistically validated trials than the public Miscanthus variety, MxG, cv Illinois.
Perennial grasses such as Miscanthus typically reach 40 - 60% of peak yields by the second growing season.
The reliable delivery of Miscanthus biomass for electricity or liquid transportation fuel production benefits from having genetically diverse Miscanthus clones. We anticipate that our 2010 field trial results will establish Mendel as a provider of such a genetically diverse offering of Miscanthus varieties with best-in-class yield performance.
—Don Panter, senior vice president of Mendel BioEnergy Seeds
Dedicated crops on marginal land can help. Just project into a future where we have used most of our fossil fuels and do not have enough to run everything AND develop renewable resources. The best use for fossil fuels is to develop renewable energy resources.
Posted by: SJC | 19 May 2010 at 08:15 AM
Second and third generation biofuels may not use edible feed stocks and may not be ethanol. Something closer to Jet fuel may be all that is required by 2030.
Posted by: HarveyD | 19 May 2010 at 05:47 PM
I truly think that we can do it. Some think that the post peak oil world will be more like survival and minimalism, I am not one of those. We will need to use energy more wisely and efficiently, but if we put enough fossil fuel resources into creating renewable energy resources, we can have jets and cars and lots of the conveniences that we have now without running out of fuel...hence the terms renewable and sustainable.
Posted by: SJC | 19 May 2010 at 10:04 PM