Review
Plant Sciences
Sarah C. Davis
Summary: This article discusses the key characteristics of Agave americana as a novel crop, including high yield and cold tolerance, and explores breeding directions. Agave americana can be used for fiber, sweeteners, bioproducts, and bioethanol production, and it also has resilient traits for changing climate conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yu Wang, J. Andrew C. Smith, Xin-Guang Zhu, Stephen P. Long
Summary: A biochemical model integrated with 3-D shoot morphology was developed to simulate CAM plant productivity, and it successfully predicted the carbon uptake of Agave tequilana over daily and annual courses. The theoretical energy conversion efficiency of Agave spp. was found to be up to 7% higher than for C-3 photosynthesis, but the actual productivity was influenced by light interception, biochemical and anatomical limitations. However, it still demonstrated the potential of CAM plants in climates with limited crop options.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Ilja Vuorinne, Janne Heiskanen, Marianne Maghenda, Lucas Mwangala, Petteri Muukkonen, Petri K. E. Pellikka
Summary: A study was conducted to develop an allometric model for predicting the dry leaf biomass of sisal and to estimate leaf biomass and productivity across different stand ages in a sisal plantation in south-east Kenya. The study found that leaf biomass and productivity were strongly correlated with leaf maximum width and plant height.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shir Reen Chia, Saifuddin Bin Hj M. Nomanbhay, Kit Wayne Chew, Heli Siti Halimatul Munawaroh, Abd Halim Shamsuddin, Pau Loke Show
Summary: The algae biomass produced from microbial fuel cells can be further processed to generate biofuels through their unique compositions. The potential of algae to solve current issues is shown through the consumption of nutrients in wastewater through algae cultivation and using the produced biomass for energy supply.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hector Ortiz G. Cano, Robert Hadfield, Teresa Gomez, Kevin Hultine, Ricardo Mata Gonzalez, Steven L. Petersen, Neil C. Hansen, Michael T. Searcy, Jason Stetler, Teodoro Cervantes Mendivil, David Burchfield, Pilman Park, J. Ryan Stewart
Summary: This study used maximum entropy ecological-niche-modeling algorithms to predict potential areas for dryland farming of Agave using rock piles and grasslands. The study identified potential locations for using rock piles in south-central Arizona and northwestern Sonora, and highlighted that grasslands in central to southern Sonora have the highest potential for cultivating Agave. These findings have important implications for the local economies and the expanding bacanora-beverage industry in the region.
Article
Agronomy
Dhurba Neupane, Jesse A. Mayer, Nicholas A. Niechayev, Carol D. Bishop, John C. Cushman
Summary: Climate-resilient and highly water-use efficient crops are essential to meet the future demands for food, feed, fiber, and fuel. Cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) has shown high productivity and the ability to thrive with significantly less water than traditional crops. A long-term field trial in the United States evaluated the biomass productivity and water response of different Opuntia species under varying irrigation levels, showing an increase in biomass production with higher irrigation rates and no significant differences among the Opuntia species tested.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shraddha Maitra, Mothi Bharath Viswanathan, Kiyoul Park, Baskaran Kannan, Sofia Cano Alfanar, Scott M. McCoy, Edgar B. Cahoon, Fredy Altpeter, Andrew D. B. Leakey, Vijay Singh
Summary: Oilcane has demonstrated potential as a renewable feedstock for the co-production of lipids and fermentable sugars. By metabolic engineering, oilcane's vegetative tissues can hyper-accumulate lipids, and with proper processing, a significant portion of the lipids can be recovered.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ilja Vuorinne, Janne Heiskanen, Petri K. E. Pellikka
Summary: Biomass estimation is crucial for crop monitoring and carbon cycling assessments. This study successfully used Sentinel-2 multispectral satellite imagery to model leaf biomass of sisal, demonstrating the suitability of multispectral data for assessing biomass at plantation and block levels. The study also highlights the importance of spectral vegetation indices for biomass estimation.
Article
Cell Biology
Degao Liu, Rongbin Hu, Jin Zhang, Hao-Bo Guo, Hua Cheng, Linling Li, Anne M. Borland, Hong Qin, Jin-Gui Chen, Wellington Muchero, Gerald A. Tuskan, Xiaohan Yang
Summary: The study demonstrates that ectopically expressing the AaPEPC1 gene in tobacco can significantly enhance photosynthetic rate and biomass production, and lead to significant changes in carbon metabolism, malate accumulation, carbon isotope ratio, and the expression of CAM-related genes. Additionally, overexpression of the AaPEPC1 gene promotes proline biosynthesis and improves plant tolerance to salt and drought stress.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alistair Leverett, Samantha Hartzell, Klaus Winter, Milton Garcia, Jorge Aranda, Aurelio Virgo, Abigail Smith, Paulina Focht, Adam Rasmussen-Arda, William G. T. Willats, Daniel Cowan-Turner, Anne M. M. Borland
Summary: Succulent plants develop fleshy organs to adapt to water-limited environments, and their anatomical features and physiological mechanisms help them withstand drought. The relationship between succulent anatomical adaptations, CAM, and hydrenchyma tissue in Clusia plants was studied. It was found that CAM supersedes hydrenchyma tissue in maximizing CO2 assimilation and minimizing transpiration during drought, challenging the assumption of mutual dependence between CAM and hydrenchyma tissue in succulent leaves.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Andrea Parenti, Giovanni Cappelli, Walter Zegada-Lizarazu, Carlos Martin Sastre, Myrsini Christou, Andrea Monti, Fabrizio Ginaldi
Summary: The study demonstrated that the simulation model SunnGro successfully reproduced the productivity of sunn hemp and showed good predictive ability under different management practices and climatic conditions. Calibrated and validated using data sets from different locations and seasons, the model proved its reliability and practicality.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Christina Kieffer, Dafeng Hui, Roser Matamala, Jianwei Li, Donald Tyler, E. Kudjo Dzantor
Summary: This study evaluated the potential of eastern gamagrass (GG) as a complementary feedstock to switchgrass (SG) for biomass production. The results showed that GG had lower biomass yield but higher forage quality compared to SG. Nitrogen fertilizer had a significant impact on biomass yield and forage quality of both crops. This study demonstrated that GG could be used as a dual-purpose crop for bioenergy and forage feedstock.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
K. A. Carrillo-Verastegui, Carlos Escamilla-Alvarado, C. E. Escarcega-Gonzalez, J. J. Cano-Gomez, D. Paniagua-Vega, I Nava-Bravo, E. Rios-Leal
Summary: This study evaluated the biohydrogen potential of three Opuntia varieties and found that the hydrogen production is influenced by the inoculum-to-substrate ratio. Additionally, the use of methanol extracted residual biomass resulted in decreased hydrogen production. The study suggests further exploration of the use of Opuntia species for hydrogen production.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2022)
Review
Horticulture
Shuo Qiu, Ke Xia, Yanni Yang, Qiaofen Wu, Zhiguo Zhao
Summary: Facultative CAM plants have the potential to undergo a transition from C-3 to CAM photosynthesis, accompanied by significant changes in anatomy, physiology, metabolism, and molecular properties. In addition, these plants show potential for sustainable food crop and biomass production.
Article
Forestry
Paschalina Terzopoulou, Vasiliki Kamperidou, Charalampos Lykidis
Summary: Through chemical characterization, this study confirms that wood and bark material of cypress species can be used as raw materials for fuel pellet production. Low bark content positively affects the quality and properties of pellets, meeting the standard requirements.