Genomic Science Program

Potential Biofeedstock: Brachypodium distachyon

Brachypodium. Photo copyright ©2000 Joe DiTomaso. Courtesy CalPhotos.

Brachypodium distachyon is a temperate wild grass species that is closely related to cool season grasses. Currently, very little is known about the genetic traits that affect the utility of these grasses for energy production. Because of its small size, rapid growth, self-fertilization, and simple growth requirements, Brachypodium is seen as an emerging model plant system for studying how to modify grass crops to increase biofuel production.

As such a model, Brachypodium can be used to help identify genes controlling traits relevant to energy crop productivity and quality, including such global processes as cell-wall biosynthesis, nutrient uptake, carbon flux, and plant architecture. These templates in turn can be used for rapid testing of strategies to improve the usefulness of grasses and trees as energy crops.

References
“Why Sequence Brachypodium?” Joint Genome Institute, U.S. Department of Energy.

Breaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol: A Joint Research Agenda, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, June 2006, DOE/SC-0095.

Other Resources
Lawrence, Carolyn J., et al. “Translational Genomics for Bioenergy Production from Fuelstock Grasses: Maize as the Model Species,” The Plant Cell Online, 2007.