How should we allocate our finite land resources to supply food, fiber and fuel as well as space to live, work and play?
Research published in April 2007 by professors C. Ford Runge and Benjamin Senauer of the Department of Applied Economics found that using more highly productive cropland for bioenergy crops would drive up food prices, possibly forcing more people toward malnutrition. Their study ignited the so-called food versus fuel debate—a firestorm of discussion that still burns today.
From Stan Hokanson’s viewpoint, there’s an element missing from the debate. “What if we could utilize marginal lands that are too nutrient-poor or too wet to produce food or forest crops?” Adding these un-cropped acres to the potential land-base for biofuels crops might take some pressure off the more productive land.
“As long as we don’t diminish the wildlife and ecological benefits these marginal lands provide,” says Hokanson, an associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, “purposely cultivating these woody species on this ‘extra’ land might be really beneficial.”
Hokanson is focused on alder, aspen, hybrid poplar, and willow. Of these, hybrid poplar is most often mentioned as a woody source of cellulosic ethanol. The potential for alder, aspen and willow is virtually unknown. Scientists also have little understanding of which species of these woody plants will thrive on marginal lands, in a far north climate, while producing maximum levels of fermentable sugars.
A Team is Born
Those questions helped Hokanson form a research team and attract nearly $650,000 to fund a four-year study. The plan is to evaluate 14 species of alder and 10 willow species and selections, and compare the results with similar tests on two selections each of hybrid aspen and hybrid poplar. The team will evaluate how well each species grows on various sites, the fiber and chemical composition of wood produced by each species, the amount of glucose each species produces, and the efficiency with which the glucose can be released.
As a plant breeder for the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, Hokanson has increased understanding of genetic resistance to disease in rose and strawberry plants. He’s also worked to develop new varieties of landscape trees and shrubs. For this project, he will identify the genetic traits of the alder and willow species that help them survive on marginal sites in northern climates and produce economically viable amounts of cellulosic ethanol.
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