UK researchers develop speedy methodology for selecting sweet sorghum

In the UK, researchers led by the University of Newcastle have developed a holistic high-throughput methodology for assessing sweet Sorghum bicolor feedstocks at 10 days post-anthesis for total fermentable sugar yields including stalk biomass, soluble sugar concentrations, and cell wall saccharification efficiency.

This methodology has been demonstrated as an efficient and effective way to screen large biofuel feedstock populations for biomass, soluble sugar concentrations, and cell wall digestibility simultaneously allowing a total fermentable yield calculation.
It unifies and simplifies previous screening methodologies to produce a holistic assessment of biofuel feedstock potential.