Steve Long

Biomass feedstock preprocessing and long-distance transportation logistics

Biomass‐based biofuels have gained attention because they are renewable energy sources that could facilitate energy independence and improve rural economic development. As biomass supply and biofuel demand areas are generally not geographically contiguous, the design of an efficient and effective biomass supply chain from biomass provision to biofuel distribution is critical to facilitate large‐scale biofuel development. This study compared the costs of supplying biomass using three alternative biomass preprocessing and densification technologies (pelletizing, briquetting, and grinding) and two alternative transportation modes (trucking and rail) for the design of a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain in which biomass produced in Illinois is used to meet biofuel demands in either California or Illinois. The BioScope optimization model was applied to evaluate a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain that includes biomass supply, centralized storage and preprocessing (CSP), biorefinery, and ethanol distribution. We examined the cost of 15 scenarios that included a combination of three biomass preprocessing technologies and five supply chain configurations. The findings suggested that the transportation costs for biomass would generally follow the pattern of coal transportation. Converting biomass to ethanol locally and shipping ethanol over long distances is most economical, similar to the existing grain‐based biofuel system. For the Illinois–California supply chain, moving ethanol is

Limitations to photosynthesis at different temperatures in the leaves of Citrus limon

0.24 gal−1 less costly than moving biomass even in densified form over long distances. The use of biomass pellets leads to lower overall costs of biofuel production for long‐distance transportation but to higher costs if used for short‐distance movement due to its high capital and processing costs. Supported by the supply chain optimization modeling, the cellulosic‐ethanol production and distribution costs of using Illinois feedstock to meet California demand are

Climate-smart agriculture and forestry: maintaining plant productivity in a changing world while minimizing production system effects on climate

0.08 gal−1 higher than that for meeting local Illinois demand.

Genome of the long-living sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) - eScholarship

The response of CO2 assimilation rate (A) to the intercellular partial pressure of CO2 (Ci) was measured on intact lemon leaves over a range of temperatures (10 to 40oC). The A/Ci response shows how change in the leaf temperature alters the activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco) and RuBP regeneration via electron transport. The rate of A reached a maximum of 7.9 to 8.9 µmol m-2 s-1 between 25 and 30oC, while dark respiration (Rd) increased with temperature from 0.4 µmol m-2 s-1 at 10oC to 1.4 µmol m-2 s-1 at 40oC. The maximum rates of carboxylation (Vc,max) and the maximum rates of electron transport (Jmax) both increased over this temperature range from 7.5 to 142 µmol m-2 s-1 and from 23.5 to 152 µmol m-2 s-1, respectively. These temperature responses showed that A can be limited by either process depending on the leaf temperature, when Ci or stomatal conductance are not limiting. The decrease in A associated with higher temperatures is in part a response to the greater increase in the rate of oxygenation of RuBP compared with carboxylation and Rd at higher temperatures. Although A can in theory be limited at higher Ci by the rate of triose-phosphate utilization, this limitation was not evident in lemon leaves.

Nelumbo nucifera [data set]

Global climatic and atmospheric change represents a major threat to the productive capacity of our crop and forest production systems. Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations cause warming and altered precipitation regimes, which will lead to more extreme weather events, including heat waves and droughts (International Panel on Climate Change 2014). At the same time, increasing surface ozone concentrations directly impact plant production, decreasing yield. Changes in climate have already impacted yields in key crop species, lowering them in some regions (Ray et al. 2012; International Panel on Climate Change 2014), and will continue to impact our crop and forest production systems in the coming decades, a period when we not only need to maintain current levels of food and wood production, but also increase productivity to feed and supply the world’s growing population. To meet these needs, we must adapt our practices to identify and create heat-, droughtand ozone-tolerant varieties for use in agriculture and forestry, while developing cultivars that are more responsive to the increases that have and will occur in atmospheric [CO2]. A key priority will also be to select the cultivars that will be most productive in the warmer, drier, high CO2 climate of the future and to search for ways to maximize plant productivity on marginal lands that are currently too saline or dry for the production of food, woody biomass and other bioproducts. But while agriculture and forestry are affected by climate change, these activities are also a significant cause of the changes to the climate system. Climate change is driven by net greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, of which agriculture accounts for about 15% and land-use change (largely deforestation) another 15% (Ciais et al. 2013). As such, agricultural and forestry practices also provide a unique opportunity to mitigate climate change. By carefully selecting which species or genotype we use in farmers’ fields and forestry plantations, we can increase the water-use efficiency of plant production, impact the regional energy balance through shifts in canopy albedo, improve carbon sequestration and minimize volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions that can exacerbate climate change. This Special Issue therefore addresses the potential to adapt to and mitigate climate change via plant selection and modification at multiple scales in managed production systems, an approach known as climate-smart agriculture and forestry (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2013; Lipper et al. 2015). To understand how crop and forest systems must adapt to climate change, we first need a firm understanding of how rising temperatures and drought stress impact plant function and productivity. Rice provides more dietary calories to humans than any other source. Jagadish et al. (2015) review the effects of heat stress on rice, particularly under waterconserving growth conditions, outlining the main challenges for improving the heat tolerance of this globally critical crop species. Teskey et al. (2015) address heat stress, but concentrate on woody species, discussing how trees cope with not only warmer conditions, but specifically with the extreme heat events that are expected to become more common in the coming decades. In many forest systems, the combination of heat and drought stress is considered the cause of decreased forest productivity and increased mortality. Zwieniecki & Secchi (2015) show how the hydraulic function of trees will, without adaptation, be impaired by future climate conditions. Although transplantation of production systems poleward to maintain a similar climate envelope for growth is considered an adaptation to climate change, Way & Montgomery (2015) discuss why photoperiod effects may limit the effectiveness of this strategy in trees. Sphagnumdominated peat ecosystems include some of the largest soil organic carbon stores on the planet. Understanding how these respond to climate change, as reviewed by Weston et al. (2015), is critical to being able to develop future management strategies. Another set of papers in this issue focus on using existing variation in plants to adapt agriculture and forestry to climate change. Aspinwall et al. (2015) discuss how variation in phenotypic plasticity to climate change drivers within a species can be used to promote crop and tree productivity in a changing environment. Soybean is the world’s single most important protein source. Bishop et al. (2015) identify the genetic variability in the responsiveness of soybean to rising [CO2], showing the prospect for the breeding of improved cultivars. Other traits that can be explored to maximize productivity and resource-use efficiency include root morphology and aquaporin regulation. Lynch (2015) reviews the potential for selecting plants with more efficient root phenes to increase crop yield and plant water and nutrient acquisition, while Moshelion et al. (2015) highlight the role of aquaporins in mediating CO2 and water fluxes and crop water-use efficiency. Expanding forestry production onto marginal lands will require drought and salt tolerant trees. Polle & Chen (2015) discuss how trees that successfully grow in saline environments cope with salinity stress from the molecular to the whole plant scale. Plant, Cell and Environment (2015) 38, 1683–1685 doi: 10.1111/pce.12592 bs_bs_banner

Genome of the long-living sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.)

BackgroundSacred lotus is a basal eudicot with agricultural, medicinal, cultural and religious importance. It was domesticated in Asia about 7,000 years ago, and cultivated for its rhizomes and seeds as a food crop. It is particularly noted for its 1,300-year seed longevity and exceptional water repellency, known as the lotus effect. The latter property is due to the nanoscopic closely packed protuberances of its self-cleaning leaf surface, which have been adapted for the manufacture of a self-cleaning industrial paint, Lotusan.ResultsThe genome of the China Antique variety of the sacred lotus was sequenced with Illumina and 454 technologies, at respective depths of 101× and 5.2×. The final assembly has a contig N50 of 38.8 kbp and a scaffold N50 of 3.4 Mbp, and covers 86.5% of the estimated 929 Mbp total genome size. The genome notably lacks the paleo-triplication observed in other eudicots, but reveals a lineage-specific duplication. The genome has evidence of slow evolution, with a 30% slower nucleotide mutation rate than observed in grape. Comparisons of the available sequenced genomes suggest a minimum gene set for vascular plants of 4,223 genes. Strikingly, the sacred lotus has 16 COG2132 multi-copper oxidase family proteins with root-specific expression; these are involved in root meristem phosphate starvation, reflecting adaptation to limited nutrient availability in an aquatic environment.ConclusionsThe slow nucleotide substitution rate makes the sacred lotus a better resource than the current standard, grape, for reconstructing the pan-eudicot genome, and should therefore accelerate comparative analysis between eudicots and monocots.

Would transformation of C3 crop plants with foreign Rubisco increase productivity? A computational analysis extrapolating from kinetic properties to canopy photosynthesis

BackgroundSacred lotus is a basal eudicot with agricultural, medicinal, cultural and religious importance. It was domesticated in Asia about 7,000 years ago, and cultivated for its rhizomes and seeds as a food crop. It is particularly noted for its 1,300-year seed longevity and exceptional water repellency, known as the lotus effect. The latter property is due to the nanoscopic closely packed protuberances of its self-cleaning leaf surface, which have been adapted for the manufacture of a self-cleaning industrial paint, Lotusan.ResultsThe genome of the China Antique variety of the sacred lotus was sequenced with Illumina and 454 technologies, at respective depths of 101× and 5.2×. The final assembly has a contig N50 of 38.8 kbp and a scaffold N50 of 3.4 Mbp, and covers 86.5% of the estimated 929 Mbp total genome size. The genome notably lacks the paleo-triplication observed in other eudicots, but reveals a lineage-specific duplication. The genome has evidence of slow evolution, with a 30% slower nucleotide mutation rate than observed in grape. Comparisons of the available sequenced genomes suggest a minimum gene set for vascular plants of 4,223 genes. Strikingly, the sacred lotus has 16 COG2132 multi-copper oxidase family proteins with root-specific expression; these are involved in root meristem phosphate starvation, reflecting adaptation to limited nutrient availability in an aquatic environment.ConclusionsThe slow nucleotide substitution rate makes the sacred lotus a better resource than the current standard, grape, for reconstructing the pan-eudicot genome, and should therefore accelerate comparative analysis between eudicots and monocots.

Ecohydrological responses of dense canopies to environmental variability: 1. Interplay between vertical structure and photosynthetic pathway

BackgroundSacred lotus is a basal eudicot with agricultural, medicinal, cultural and religious importance. It was domesticated in Asia about 7,000 years ago, and cultivated for its rhizomes and seeds as a food crop. It is particularly noted for its 1,300-year seed longevity and exceptional water repellency, known as the lotus effect. The latter property is due to the nanoscopic closely packed protuberances of its self-cleaning leaf surface, which have been adapted for the manufacture of a self-cleaning industrial paint, Lotusan.ResultsThe genome of the China Antique variety of the sacred lotus was sequenced with Illumina and 454 technologies, at respective depths of 101× and 5.2×. The final assembly has a contig N50 of 38.8 kbp and a scaffold N50 of 3.4 Mbp, and covers 86.5% of the estimated 929 Mbp total genome size. The genome notably lacks the paleo-triplication observed in other eudicots, but reveals a lineage-specific duplication. The genome has evidence of slow evolution, with a 30% slower nucleotide mutation rate than observed in grape. Comparisons of the available sequenced genomes suggest a minimum gene set for vascular plants of 4,223 genes. Strikingly, the sacred lotus has 16 COG2132 multi-copper oxidase family proteins with root-specific expression; these are involved in root meristem phosphate starvation, reflecting adaptation to limited nutrient availability in an aquatic environment.ConclusionsThe slow nucleotide substitution rate makes the sacred lotus a better resource than the current standard, grape, for reconstructing the pan-eudicot genome, and should therefore accelerate comparative analysis between eudicots and monocots.