b'Nuseeds new carinata cover crop hybrid. Photo: NuseedBIOFUEL IS GOOD,BUT COULD IT BE GREAT?As demand rises for biofuels, plant breeders are working hard to increase biofuel feedstocks productivity and biofuels sustainability. Treena Hein YEARS AGO, some doubted that biofuels could be a viable indus- Biofuels contribute to reduced greenhouse gas emissions try, let alone a thriving one. While questions about biofuelsacross multiple stages of the production process, according role still exist, infrastructure development and plant breedersto the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Their efforts during the past decade have put biofuels on the map inimpact towards sustainability increases further when producers various transportation sectors. grow feedstock crops on marginal land and/or use waste crop The main biofuel crops include starches like corn andbiomass as biofuel feedstock while retaining the highest value sorghum, oilseeds such as soybean and canola, and sugar cropsgrain or oilseed for uses in food products or livestock feed. Alsoprimarily sugarcane and sugar beet. Fermenting sugar andsignificant, biofuels support sustainability by reducing a coun-starch-based crops produces bio-alcohols like ethanol, while oilstrys need for imported fossil fuels.undergo processing and blending to create biodiesel and renew- Even with these existing sustainability benefits, the biofuel able aviation fuel. industry remains committed to further enhancing sustainabil-Biofuels impact hinges on its ability to replace fossil fuels,ity. Due to the limits of available farmland globally, expanding a metric that continues to steadily rise. According to the U.Sfeedstock crop biomass volume is challenging. Therefore, breed-Energy Information Administration, the United States pro- ing crops for higher yields to obtain more fuel from each acre is duced 17.5 billion gallons and consumed about 16.8 billioncritical to maximizing sustainability. For oilseeds like canola, gallons of biofuels in 2021. Though the last couple years havethe oil profile also matters.had a dip in production and consumption owing largely to the global pandemic, both production and consumption haveCanada Leading in Canolabeen on a general upward trajectory since the biofuel marketCanada is the worlds largest producer of canola, growing more began in the 1980s. Ethanol, which is blended with petroleumthan 25% of the global supply and leading the world in exports. gasoline for use in vehicles, accounted for 85% of U.S. biofuelIn Canada, canola has had biofuel-use as a breeding focus from production and 82% of consumption in 2021. the crops earliest days. Curtis Rempel, the Canola Council of 24GERMINATION.CAJANUARY 2024'