Gene May Speed Growth of Grass for Biofuels
Thursday, November 11 2010
by Jeremy Loeb
A Duke University research team may have found a way to speed the growth of important crops used for biofuels. The researchers have identified a type of regulator gene called “Upbeat 1.” Philip Benfey is the director of the team. He says when they disrupted that gene, the plant’s roots grew faster and longer. When they boosted it, the plant got smaller.
Benfey says that means people will be able to grow robust plants more quickly by just manipulating that one gene. The team will now try to take plants with less active variations of the gene and breed them with the biofuel crops. That would help farmers while providing more environmentally-friendly sources of energy. Jeremy Loeb, North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC.
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