Tropical grasses could be a tremendous source of biomass for making liquid transportation fuels. Napiergrass is a tropical grass that grows well in Hawaii and parts of Florida and Texas and produces far more biomass than other plant species. Some of the grasses we are studying reach 17 feet in height!


Figure 1. Napiergrass grows up to 17 feet in height in Hawaii.

Our research has demonstrated that Hawaiian varieties of napiergrass are diverse morphologically and genetically. The morphological differences are illustrated by the photos below:


Figure 2a. Diversity of napiergrass in Hawaii


Figure 2b. Morphological differences in napier

Genetic fingerprints or genotypes of the grasses are determined by comparing short pieces of DNA between different plants. The process is shown in the figure 3. We have begun a bioenergy plant breeding program to utilize the biodiversity of the tropical grasses to develop high yielding bioenergy crops for Hawaii’s diverse growing environments.


Figure 3. Genotypes are determined using DNA extraction

Prepared by Brian Turano, February 7, 2011