Drought Impact on Lignification in Green Foxtail and Sugarcane for Bioenergy Production

• Grant number: 25/14333-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: July 14, 2025
• End date: August 13, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Pant Physiology
• Agreement: Fulbright Commission
• Principal Investigator: Igor Cesarino
• Grantee: Igor Cesarino
• Visiting researcher: Chhandak Basu
• Visiting researcher institution: California State University, Northridge/Csun ,
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo

Abstract

The entire proposed project will take place under the oversight of my host and collaborator,Dr. Igor Cesarino, at the Department of Botany, University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil.Biofuels: Biofuels, derived from plants or other biological sources, offer a low carbon footprint solution, minimizing negative environmental impacts compared to non-renewable fossil fuels (Ruan et al., 2019). Biofuel encompasses bioethanol, fermented from plant sugars; biodiesel, derived from seed oils or algal lipids through transesterification; and biogas, generated by microbial processes. Plant biomass serves as the 'feedstock' for bioenergy production, with high biomass plants being ideal candidates, facilitated by factors such as enhanced carbon sequestration during photosynthesis and lower lignin deposition in cell walls. This project focuses on understanding the biology of two feedstock plants for bioethanol and bioenergy production: green foxtail (Setaria viridis) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). Green foxtail, a model biofuel crop in the grass family, is extensively studied for grass genetics and physiology. On the other hand, sugarcane is cultivated worldwide on 27 million hectares (with over 10 million hectares in Brazil), serving as both a food and biofuel source (Heinrichs et al., 2017). Cellulose and lignin and biofuel production: Both green foxtail and sugarcane contain a structural polysaccharide known as cellulose, which can be utilized for bioenergy fuel (biofuel) production. However, before cellulose can be converted into ethanol, it must undergo hydrolysis, breaking it down into monomeric sugars that are then fermented with microbes, such as yeast. Lignin, another polymer deposited onto plant cells, provides structural support to plants; however, lignification also presents obstacles to converting sugars or sugar-like compounds into ethanol. Lignin, along with cellulose, is known as lignocellulosic biomass, and this biomass needs to be enzymatically hydrolyzed and then fermented for bioethanol production.Drought stress impacts bioenergy fuel (biofuel) production: Drought is a natural phenomenon; however, climate change has intensified its effects. Green foxtail is known for its exceptional ability to tolerate drought stress (Valença et al., 2020). Conversely, one of the challenges of sugarcane cultivation is its disproportionately high water requirement (Dingre et al., 2020). Because of this, the World Wildlife Fund has raised concerns over sugarcane cultivation and its detrimental effects on the environment [1]. Drought stress also affects lignin deposition (Moura et al., 2010), which in turn influences biomass processing into bioproducts in biorefineries. We are interested in identifying how sugarcane responds to water stress, with the long-term goal of developing drought-resilient sugarcane varieties that can be cultivated with less water. (AU)