The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), are accepting applications for genomics-based research that will lead to the improved use of biomass and plant feedstocks for the production of fuels such as ethanol or renewable chemical feedstocks. Applications are sought for research on candidate bioenergy plants with improved resistance/tolerance to disease and disease complexes. Research to overcome these biological barriers to the low-cost, high-quality, scalable and sustainable production of bioenergy feedstocks using the tools of genetics and genomics are encouraged.
Renewable energy from plants, from lignocellulosic biomass and from seed oils, has the potential to reduce or remove dependency on fossil fuels as well as reduce negative environmental impacts from emissions of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants. Realizing this potential will require the development of high biomass yielding crops that can be sustainably grown, requiring few inputs. However, the growth of such newly developed crops as dedicated bioenergy feedstocks, many of which may possess cell wall structures modified to reduce recalcitrance, will likely present previously unseen challenges. One such challenge, particularly in monocultural settings, is the potential for increased pressure from known and newly identified diseases/disease complexes. This joint DOE and USDA FOA continues a commitment initiated in 2006 to conduct a fundamental research program in biomass genomics, providing the scientific foundation to facilitate the use of plant materials for bioenergy and biofuels. In 2015, the program seeks to build upon gains in genetic and genomic resources for bioenergy and biofuels by supporting research to investigate challenges likely to be encountered with increasing acreage devoted to bioenergy feedstocks, specifically, identification and characterization of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant resistance/tolerance to pathogens and use of this knowledge to accelerate breeding of dedicated bioenergy feedstocks.
Specific areas of interest include:
- Genomics-based research to identify and functionally characterize plant genes/alleles influencing plant response to pathogens, with a long-term focus on crop improvement. Targeted crops include perennial grasses, sorghum, energy cane, woody biomass, and oilseed crops. The long-term goal is to develop a clearer understanding of the key genes and processes responsible for superior feedstock plant performance under increasing pathogen pressure and with minimal impacts on the surrounding ecological landscape, and use the results to inform breeding programs. Specific areas include:
- Discovery and characterization of key plant genes/alleles that confer disease resistance/tolerance;
- Research to develop new cultivars of regionally adapted energy feedstocks with enhanced biomass yield and resistance/tolerance to pathogens.