Wind in the willows: environmental stress increases Salix sp. yield

摘要

A study led by researchers at Imperial College London (UK) has revealed that, by exerting environmental stress during the growth of dedicated bioenergy crop short-rotation coppice (SRC) willow (Salix sp.), the feedstock yields five-times more liquid biofuel, relative to without the application of environmental stress. The investigation, which was carried out in collaboration with Rothamsted Research (Harpenden, UK) and the Agronomy Institute at Orkney College University of the Highlands and Islands (Orkney, UK), assessed the impact of environmental stresses on cell wall composition and cell wall sugar accessibility among eight different genotypes of SRC willow.