The Food versus Fuel Debate

Q As an expert in land-based feedstock development, what would you regard as the major advances in this field to date? In sharp contrast to food crops, which people have been growing and breeding for millennia, research on most energy crops is still in its infancy. Yet even in a relatively short period of time, we have seen breeding programs increase yields of energy crops such as switchgrass and willow by 30–50% [1,2]. We are just beginning to see results from the application of crop biotechnology to dedicated energy crops, but initial indications are promising. Of particular importance are increased tolerance to stress (e.g., water, nutrients and pests), control of invasiveness (through sterile lines and delayed flowering) and enhanced energy characteristics (e.g., by modifying cell wall constituents such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin). Along with these advances in genetics and agronomic practices, there have also been considerable advances in the use of remote sensing, environmental data and crop production models to allow more accurate prediction of food and biofuel crop production and potential. Foley’s group has used these tools to demonstrate the huge potential to increase yields by more effective use of current agricultural technologies for both food [3] and biofuels [4]. These and many other studies demonstrate that agricultural intensification can provide much more food and fuel from existing agricultural land, and in the process free up additional land for biofuel production. When we combine the biofuel feedstock potential of new genetic improvements and agricultural intensification, the potential for large-scale biofuel production is enormous [5].