Lines of a novel cereal crop (DDRR, tetraploid triticale) which has characteristics of interest for use a biomass crop suitable for cellulosic bioethanol production and which is adapted to growth in rain-fed agricultural systems. The technology / product is a new cereal biomass crop named DDRR which is a tetraploid triticale derived from a cross between rye (Secale cereale) and the wild cereal Aegilops squarrosa. The new crop has an exceptional capacity for vegetative biomass production: early lines still under development have produced in excess of 150% of the total biomass produced by elite wheat varieties and it performs well under low-input conditions, without the need for irrigation. DDRR thus constitutes an alternative biomass crop particularly suited to cultivation in rain-fed agricultural systems such as those of the Mediterranean region where standard biomass crops such as Miscanthus spp. will not produce high yields without irrigation. In addition, DDRR is an annual crop, unlike Miscanthus or woody biomass species, and can be included in crop rotations and handled with conventional agricultural equipment used by arable farmers. The biofuel applications envisaged for DDRR are whole-crop cellulosic bioethanol or biogas production. For both these applications, the proportion of non-digestible lignin fibre in relation to cellulosic material which can be digested to produce fermentable sugars is a major factor in deciding the efficiency of ethanol or biogas production. In this connection, in addition to a programme directed at selecting DDRR lines with maximized biomass production, our company is examining the variation in digestibility / bioethanol production from DDRR germplasm. Preliminary results suggest that DDRR has higher digestibility than conventional biomass crops, with a lower proportion of lignin in the cell wall material, which would translate into increased conversion efficiency in biofuel systems. The EU has agreed targets for the progressive replacement of a proportion of petroleum-based fuels with renewable energy sources over the coming decade. For these targets to be achieved, there is the need to develop a range of energy crops adapted to different climatic regions and cropping systems, in addition to the development of new fuel production processes. In this context, much R&D effort is being devoted to improving lignocellulosic alcohol process efficiency and in parallel alternative biofuel crops such as DDRR, offering production and conversion advantages, should be well placed in the energy crops marketplace. A primary series of DDRR lines has been created and their superior performance in terms of biomass production has been demonstrated in field experiments. Based on this success, a programme of selection of elite lines and breeding of second-generation lines has been initiated. At the same time, early lines are being made available for testing by business partners and a range of germplasm is being evaluated for bioethanol production efficiency in a lignocellulosic alcohol pilot plant.

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