Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified the key genes required for oil production and accumulation in plant leaves and other vegetative plant tissues. Enhancing expression of these genes resulted in vastly increased oil content in leaves, the most abundant sources of plant biomass-a finding that could have important implications for increasing the energy content of plant-based foods and renewable biofuel feedstocks. The research is described in the journals The Plant Journal and Plant Cell. “If we can transfer this strategy to crop plants being used to generate renewable energy or to feed livestock, it… Login to continue

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