Agave gene expression for bioenergy

Author(s)

Fábio Trigo Raya

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia
• Defense date: 2018-10-19

Examining board members

Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira; Henrique Marques Souza; Aristóteles Goes Neto

• Advisor: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira

Abstract

A lot of speculation has been made about the use of agaves for biomass production in marginal areas, mainly because of its high productivity in low rainfall areas, drought tolerance and low lignin content. Brazilian agave-culture occupies a large area of nutrient-poor soils in the Northeast's semiarid region, where it often shows itself as the only growing crop alternative with satisfactory economic results. Agaves provide an opportunity for the study of a broad spectrum of resistance mechanisms to drought and high temperatures, ranging from adaptations in the roots to the crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a highly water-use efficient photosynthetic mechanism; and appear as an important model for the creation of agronomic solutions associated with climate change and bioenergy. In this context, the present work generated transcriptomics atlases of "Agave sisalana", "Agave fourcroydes" and Hybrid 11648 ("A. amaniensis" x "A. angustifolia") under field conditions, identifying, for the first time, the genes related to cell wall and common mechanisms of drought tolerance through the comparison between chemical analysis and gene expression. The data collected contribute to the understanding of the molecular biology of high-yielding CAM species and may help the breeding process of this important semiarid culture (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/05396-8 - Gene expression of Agave spp. for bioenergy: exploiting the potential of CAM plants
• Grantee: Fábio Trigo Raya
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master