SBIR Phase I: Bioenergy from Genomics: Genes that Increase Corn Kernel Starch and Oil Content.

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在识别和验证控制玉米淀粉和脂肪含量的少量基因。该项目将确定玉米驯化基因和这些性状之间的统计关联。掌握了控制淀粉和脂肪水平的基因，可以用来培育或转基因玉米，使其每粒淀粉或脂肪含量显著提高。这项研究的更广泛影响最终将减少对外国能源的依赖。国内能源自力更生可以来自生物能源技术，包括玉米乙醇和生物柴油。反对使用玉米制造乙醇的两大反对意见是，为种植玉米施肥和灌溉更多的土地会对环境造成影响，以及在世界人民挨饿的时候将玉米从食物转向燃料。增加每英亩玉米生产乙醇的可发酵淀粉的产量将解决这些反对意见。通过这种方式，可以从相同的种植面积生产更多的乙醇和生物柴油原料。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to identify and validate the small number of genes that control starch and oil content in corn. The project will determine statistical associations between corn domestication genes and these traits. Having genes in hand that control starch and oil levels could be used to breed or genetically engineer corn with significantly higher starch or oil content per kernel.The broader impact of this research will ultimately be reduced dependence on foreign energy sources. Domestic energy self-reliance can come from bioenergy technologies, including corn ethanol and biodiesel. Two major objections to the use of corn to make ethanol are the environmental impact of fertilizing and irrigating greater amounts of land for growing corn and diverting corn from food to fuel when people in the world are starving. Increasing the yield of fermentable starch for ethanol production from each acre of corn grown would address these objections. In this way, more ethanol and biodiesel feedstocks can be produced from the same acreage.