Corn Gene Drastically Increases Biomass Production March 4, 2009
Contrary to what the popular media says about the agricultural
industry, it really is a dynamic industry that continually
changes becoming more and more efficient at food and fuel
production. University of Illinois plant geneticist Stephen
Moose has developed a corn plant with enormous potential for
biomass, literally. It yields corn that would make good silage,
Moose said, due to a greater number of leaves and larger stalk,
which could also make it a good energy crop. The gene known as
Glossy 15 was originally described for its role in giving corn
seedlings a waxy coating that acts like a sun screen for the
young plant. Without Glossy 15, seedling leaves instead appear
shiny and glossy in sunlight. Further studies have shown that
the main function of Glossy15 is to slow down shoot maturation.
Moose wondered what would happen if they turned up the action of
this gene. "What happens is that you get bigger plants, possibly
because they're more sen