College of Natural Science,Kellogg Biological Station,Plant Biology,Plant Research Laboratory01/25/2023Why this promising biofuel crop takes a summer break

Michigan State University researchers have solved a puzzle that could help switchgrass realize its full potential as a low-cost, sustainable biofuel crop and curb our dependence on fossil fuels. Berkley Walker’s team in the Department of Plant Biology in MSU’s College of Natural Science has revealed why switchgrass stops performing photosynthesis in the middle of the summer — its growing season — limiting how much biofuel it yields. This knowledge, published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, is a key piece to overcoming this quirk and getting the most out of switchgrass.

Val OsowskiMSU postdoctoral researcher Mauricio Tejera-Nieves studies switchgrass near a rainfall exclusion shelter built by the Great Lakes Bioenergy Researcher Center at Michigan State’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research site.By explaining a photosynthetic peculiarity in switchgrass, Michigan State University researchers may have unlocked even more of the plant’s potential. KBSMSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratorybiofuelphotosynthesisplant biologyswitchgrass