Dual-Purpose Corn for Food, Fuel

MADISON, Wis.Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed dual-purpose corn that can be bred to optimize properties for cellulosic ethanol without adversely affecting the grain yield.

The research team found either neutral or favorable relationships among grain yield, stalk lodging and stover-quality traits considered most important for producing cellulosic ethanol. Even though current corn lines have not been bred for cellulosic ethanol, they exhibited a significant amount of genetic variation for the stover-quality traits. DNA fingerprints indicated the lack of silver-bullet genes for cellulosic ethanolinstead, stover-quality for cellulosic ethanol is controlled by many genes that need to be accumulated in a corn hybrid by selective breeding.

The researchers are now investigating the use of DNA fingerprints and year-round breeding nurseries in a fast-track approach to breed for dual-purpose corn; however, they remain cautious on the prospects of large-scale production of corn for grain and cellulosic ethanol on U.S. farms.