Researchers at the University of Illinois led by Stephen Long have secured a $3.2 million grant from the US Department of Energy to engineer the development of oil-rich sugarcane and sorghum. Additionally, they are aiming to develop cane that could be farmed in more northerly climes. Researchers from the University of Florida, the University of Nebraska and the Brookhaven National Laboratory are also participating in the project. While the researchers are calling on the latest advances in plant biotechnology and computer modelling, their approach to developing oil-rich crops will not involve engineering a new pathway, but rather enhancing “the pathway… Login to continue

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