UC Berkeley research yields high-starch “Frankenstein” switchgrass

In California, switchgrass research at the University of California, Berkeley has yielded a strain of the plant that is 250 times starchier than traditional switchgrass. The project, partially funded by the USDA, is also monitoring water use for growing these plants as water availability could be a limiting factor in growing switchgrass. Scientists working on the project have named the plant “Frankenstein” grass, and have gone so far as to speculate that the high efficiency may help make biofuel price competitive with petroleum fuels.

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Tags: Berkeley, frankenstein grass, starch, switchgrass, USDA

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