DOE awards $14.3 million to University of Nevada, Reno to design bioenergy crops for arid, hot climates

In Nevada, the DOE has awarded at $14.3 million grant to a team directed by John Cushman of the University of Nevada, Reno to redesign bioenergy crops to grown on “economically marginal agricultural lands,” reports Phys Org. The project will explore plants like the water-efficient and fast growing poplar tree. The long-term goal is to adapt plants to grow more easily in arid and hot climates with little water by enabling them to absorb carbon dioxide at night through a process known as CAM. The grant for the project comes from the Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Genomic Science: Biosystems Design to Enable Next-Generation Biofuels.

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