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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Sugarcane for bioenergy production: an assessment of yield and regulation of sucrose content

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Author(s):
Waclawovsky, Alessandro J. [1] ; Sato, Paloma M. [1] ; Lembke, Carolina G. [1] ; Moore, Paul H. [2] ; Souza, Glaucia M. [1]
Total Authors: 5
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Quim, Dept Bioquim, BR-01498 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Hawaii Agr Res Ctr, Kunia, HI - USA
Total Affiliations: 2
Document type: Review article
Source: Plant Biotechnology Journal; v. 8, n. 3, p. 263-276, Apr. 2010.
Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry
Web of Science Citations: 163
Abstract

An increasing number of plant scientists, including breeders, agronomists, physiologists and molecular biologists, are working towards the development of new and improved energy crops. Research is increasingly focused on how to design crops specifically for bioenergy production and increased biomass generation for biofuel purposes. The most important biofuel to date is bioethanol produced from sugars (sucrose and starch). Second generation bioethanol is also being targeted for studies to allow the use of the cell wall (lignocellulose) as a source of carbon. If a crop is to be used for bioenergy production, the crop should be high yielding, fast growing, low lignin content and requiring relatively small energy inputs for its growth and harvest. Obtaining high yields in nonprime agricultural land is a key for energy crop development to allow sustainability and avoid competition with food production. Sugarcane is the most efficient bioenergy crop of tropical and subtropical regions, and biotechnological tools for the improvement of this crop are advancing rapidly. We focus this review on the studies of sugarcane genes associated with sucrose content, biomass and cell wall metabolism and the preliminary physiological characterization of cultivars that contrast for sugar and biomass yield. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 06/57798-0 - Functional characterization of genes from sugar cane aiming to obtain cultivars with high sucrose content
Grantee:Alessandro Jaquiel Waclawovsky
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
FAPESP's process: 08/52146-0 - Sugarcane signaling and regulatory networks
Grantee:Glaucia Mendes Souza
Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 08/54201-9 - Identification and characterization of sugarcane promoters induced by drought
Grantee:Carolina Gimiliani Lembke
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)