CSU receives $1.5 million to develop biofuels

Colorado State University (CSU) has been awarded nearly $1.5 million (€1.1 million) from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a new oilseed feedstock crop for biofuels.

John McKay, a bio-agricultural sciences associate professor, is the direct recipient of the award, and it will be his team that will focus on the plant species Camelina sativa, an oilseed feedstock crop that can be grown on sub-standard farmland with relatively low fertilizer inputs and restricted irrigation.

Influenced by the newly available genome sequence of Camelina, this project will use forward and reverse genetics and natural variation to combine optimal qualities in Camelina as an oilseed feedstock for the Great Plains and western US.

'Our research targets the most critical needs of this biofuel crop, enhancement of its drought tolerance and improvement of its seed oil profile,' says McKay.