b'Switchgrass is a hardy perennial with big potential for sustainable fuel production.PHOTO: TREY SATOFermentation Isnt One-Size-Fits-AllEven so, Sato believes more coordination across the value chainTHE GRASS THAT COULD FLYis critical. His work illustrates the need for collaboration between breeders, chemists, microbiologists and engineersespeciallyThis hardy native grass is gaining ground as a biofuel feedstockheres why.if biofuel production is to keep pace with extreme weather.Our main belief has been that the compositions of feed- Tough by Naturestocks are not all the same, whether it be between plant speciesSwitchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial warm-season grass native to or for the same species in different growing years or field loca- North America. It thrives on marginal land, tolerates drought and heat, and tions, he says. requires minimal fertilizer or irrigationmaking it a strong candidate for This may sound obvious, but this variability has not beensustainable biomass production.extensively studied, mainly due to the time and resources needed to conduct these studies. High Energy ReturnIt produces six times more energy than is required to grow and harvest it. That Connecting the Dots from Field to Fuel energy ratio, combined with its ability to grow in regions unsuitable for food With commercial interest growing in sustainable aviation fuel,crops, gives it an edge in the bioenergy landscape.switchgrass could play a larger role in Americas energy future. Electrification is not currently viable for planes, and alcohol-to- Not Just Ethanoljet pathways offer one of the few scalable alternatives. Switchgrass isnt just a source of traditional ethanol. Its being considered for That puts new pressure on seed developers to understandadvanced biofuels like isobutanol and even sustainable aviation fuel via alcohol-how different genotypes and environments interactandto-jet pathways.whether traits like fermentation efficiency can be woven into variety trials. Drought DilemmaSato and his team are also exploring whether other naturalWhen grown in drought conditions, switchgrass produces higher levels of variants of switchgrassand other grassesrespond similarlycompounds like saponins, which inhibit fermentation. Thats why researchers to drought.We are also exploring whether different natural switchgrasslike Trey Sato are digging into how stress conditions affect downstream variants ferment to biofuels differently and how geographicalconversion.location might also affect the quality of different feedstocks forFeedstock of the Future?conversion to bioenergy products, he says. As climate change intensifies and the aviation sector looks to decarbonize, More questions are emerging than answers. As the planet warms, drought resilience and fermentation compatibility are noswitchgrass may become a key player in next-generation fuel productionbut longer separate conversations. Satos research shows the roadonly if its biological bottlenecks can be understood and addressed.from seed to fuel is more connected than we once thought.SW48/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2025'