Genetic Engineering of Energy Crops to Reduce Recalcitrance and Enhance Biomass Digestibility

Monika Yadav, Kunwar Paritosh, Aakash Chawade, Nidhi Pareek and Vivekanand Vivekanand
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Monika Yadav: Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302017, India
Kunwar Paritosh: Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302017, India
Aakash Chawade: Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 101, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden
Nidhi Pareek: Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Rajasthan 305801, India
Vivekanand Vivekanand: Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302017, India

Agriculture, 2018, vol. 8, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: Bioenergy, biofuels, and a range of valuable chemicals may be extracted from the abundantly available lignocellulosic biomass. To reduce the recalcitrance imposed by the complex cell wall structure, genetic engineering has been proposed over the years as a suitable solution to modify the genes, thereby, controlling the overall phenotypic expression. The present review provides a brief description of the plant cell wall structure and its compositional array i.e., lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, wall proteins, and pectin, along with their effect on biomass digestibility. Also, this review discusses the potential to increase biomass by gene modification. Furthermore, the review highlights the potential genes associated with the regulation of cell wall structure, which can be targeted for achieving energy crops with desired phenotypes. These genetic approaches provide a robust and assured method to bring about the desired modifications in cell wall structure, composition, and characteristics. Ultimately, these genetic modifications pave the way for achieving enhanced biomass yield and enzymatic digestibility of energy crops, which is crucial for maximizing the outcomes of energy crop breeding and biorefinery applications.

Keywords: genetic engineering; biomass; biofuel; digestibility; enzymatic saccharification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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