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Recent Progress in the Genetic Engineering of Biofuel Crops

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Biofuels: Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Global Warming

Abstract

The utilization of biomass energy is increasingly considered as a promising means for the sustainable supply of energy and for long-term conservation of the global environment. In order to achieve the effective production of biomass-based energy, a key challenge will be the breeding of biofuel crops that enable high and stable biomass production. In this context, genetic engineering to optimize metabolism, create value-added biomass production, and enable environmental adaptability for growth on marginal land will be instrumental for establishing the next generation of biofuel crops. This review focuses on recent progress in the development of dedicated biofuel crops by means of genetic engineering, particularly switchgrass for lignocellulosic feedstock and jatropha and camelina for biodiesel feedstock.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) program by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)/Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the Cooperative Research Grant of the Gene Research Center, University of Tsukuba, the Joint Research Program and the MRA Project of the Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from JSPS to K.A. (17K07755).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama Minami, Tottori, 680-8553, Japan

    Kinya Akashi

  2. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Forest Bio-Research Center, 3809-1 Ishi, Juo, Hitachi, Ibaraki, 319-1301, Japan

    Yoshihiko Nanasato

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  1. Kinya Akashi
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  2. Yoshihiko Nanasato
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Correspondence to Kinya Akashi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and P.G. School of Biotechnology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

    Ashwani Kumar

  2. Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Syoubara, Hiroshima, Japan

    Shinjiro Ogita

  3. Natural Sciences, Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA

    Yuan-Yeu Yau

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Akashi, K., Nanasato, Y. (2018). Recent Progress in the Genetic Engineering of Biofuel Crops. In: Kumar, A., Ogita, S., Yau, YY. (eds) Biofuels: Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Global Warming. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3763-1_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3763-1_18

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