Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 233 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (881 download)
Book Synopsis Genetic Dissection of Cell Wall Composition and Digestibility in Maize (Zea Mays L.) by :
Download or read book Genetic Dissection of Cell Wall Composition and Digestibility in Maize (Zea Mays L.) written by and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global increase in energy needs has driven significant attention to the production of bioenergy, which is the energy produced from biological materials. Moreover, this attention has been exacerbated by concerns related to the effects of climate change on energy security. The goal of this thesis was to dissect the genetic architecture of cell wall composition and digestibility in plant tissues relevant for the production of bioenergy, specifically, cellulosic ethanol from maize stover. The cost-effective production of cellulosic ethanol depends, to a large extent, on advancing knowledge in four main areas: (1) characterizing of endogenous variation to determine the appropriate germplasm source(s) needed for cellulosic ethanol production, (2) assessing the effects of cell wall composition and cell wall structure on the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis (digestibility), (3) characterizing maize genes that can be genetically transformed to enhance biomass yield and conversion efficiency, and (4) developing of rapid screening protocols to evaluate biomass conversion efficiency. This thesis involves the aforementioned four areas. First, a stalk-core sampling device and procedure were developed to allow high-throughput screening of thousands of maize stalk-core samples. Second, tropical and other non-temperate maize germplasm sources were characterized for cell wall composition and digestibility diversity. Third, the relationships among various cell wall composition and digestibility traits across two relevant biomass tissues, as well as their repeatabilities and heritabilities, were evaluated. Subsequently, the genetic architecture of quantitative variation in maize cell wall composition and digestibility was dissected in diverse maize populations, providing direction to potential breeding strategies expected to improve the utility of maize biomass for the production of biofuels. In summary, this thesis constitutes a substantial effort to establish research and breeding strategies to accelerate the development of renewable fuels from plant biomass.