Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/11
Outputs
Target Audience: Target Audience were limited resource farmers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Six undergraduate students (agronomy, biology, chemical engineering) were selected and trained on all aspects of the project. The students were co-authors of all the papers that resulted from the research. Three of the students have graduated from PVAMU: one was hired by CONOCO oil agricultural chemicals, the second was admitted to the PhD program of UT Medical Sciences, the third student is now a resident medical doctor. The plant systems biochemistry laboratory is right now inundated with applications from scientific students who want to train on biotechnology. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of this project have been orally disseminated in and outside the USA. In 2009, a global perspective of the plant systems research projects at the CARC was presented by the PIs (Godson Osuji and Raul Cuero) at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria Professor Agu Ogan distinguished lecture held March 9-12. Students and Professors from the university’s Colleges of Agriculture, Biological and Physical Sciences, Engineering and Pharmacy, including high school students were in the audience. The distinguished speakers (G.Osuji and R. Cuero) received commendation plaques from the University for their ground-breaking scientific research on bioenergy specialty crops. In 2010, Godson Osuji delivered an extensive oral presentation on the optimization of cellulosic biomass accumulation in peanuts at the 12th world congress of the IAPB in St. Louis, MO. Results were presented at the annual conferences of PVAMU Cooperative Extension Program in 2010 and 2011. Under the Plant and Environmental Systems research focus group, the above presentations in agricultural biotechnology are in agreement with the following CARC performance goals: a) They improve the harmony between crop production practices and the environment through optimized cellulosic feedstock yields without increasing fertilizer emission to the environment. b) They increase the base of scientific knowledge on fundamental plant sciences especially for the use of peanut and other specialty crops for the production of bioenergy. c) They increase the awareness, understanding and information among agricultural producers regarding the agricultural production technologies that improve agricultural yield while protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. d) They encouraged student participation in agricultural research projects. Impact: The results have inspired extensive biotechnology awareness among limited resource communities (target audience). Producers of wild cane, mescanthus, hibiscus, peanut, and sorghum in Wharton and Waller Counties of Texas are so motivated that they are making repeated enquiries about the project. Because of the very low cellulose contents of specialty crops compared with other bioenergy crops, they may not be economically important as sources of feedstock for cellulosic ethanol refineries. But because of the high yields of vegetable oil from soybean, corn, rice, peanut and similar alternative sources of feedstock, biodiesel refineries will be more profitable to operate. Because of the high quality of the research outcomes and journal papers published, PVAMU was able to collaborate with AgriLife Research Department, Texas A&M University, College Station on a >$1 million research project on bioenergy sorghum being funded by USDA NIFA. A University of Agriculture in Nigeria (Imo State Polytechnic) is now partnering with PVAMU to research the doubling of black eyed pea (staple crop) yield by applying the crop-yield-doubling biotechnology method. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
New knowledge on bioenergy feedstock production was gained. Fertilization of peanuts with mineral salts mixes that mimic the subunit polypeptide ratios of glutamate dehydrogenase doubled the shoot, seed, cellulose, and fatty acid yields ha-1. This could encourage resource-limited farmers (target audience) to embark upon bioenergy feedstock production and processing. Chemical compositions (cellulose, lignin, fatty acids) of cultivated crops (sorghum, peanut) were considerably high to support possible downstream processing of feedstocks to sugars and biodiesel. But the chemical compositions of non-cultivated crops (wild cane, mescanthus) were extremely low in cellulose and very high in ash thereby discouraging downstream processing to sugars. Economic feasibility of producing biodiesel from domestic biomass resources was completed by PIs (Alfred Parks and Richard Griffin). Results from the analysis which looked at using multiple alternative feedstocks in combination of rice (5%), mustard seed (10%), rapeseed (10%), soybeans (5%), sorghum (5%), castor bean (10%), used french fry oil (40%) and sunflower )10%) in a 20 million gallon production facility indicated that the mix will provide an economically viable biodiesel operation. As a follow-up, enquiries are being received from limited resource industrialists (target audience) seeking to partner with PVAMU in bioenergy production.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2010
Citation:
Osuji, G.O., Brown, T.K., and South, S.M. (2010). Optimized fat and cellulosic biomass accumulation in peanut through biotechnology. professorosuji@yahoo.com. International Journal Biochemistry Biotechnology 6: 455-476.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2009
Citation:
Osuji, G.O., Brown, T.K., and South, S.M. (2009). Nucleotide-dependent reprogramming of mRNAs encoding acetyl coenzyme a carboxylase and lipoxygenase in relation to the fat contents of peanut. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jb/2009/278324.html Journal of Botany, vol. 2009.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Osuji, G.O., and Madu, W.C. (2012). Using the RNA synthetic activity of glutamate dehydrogenase to illuminate the natural role of the enzyme. Advances in Biological Chemistry. 2: 379-389. Doi:10.4236/abc.2012.24047.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Osuji, GO, Brown, TK, South, SM, Duncan, JC, Johnson, D (2011). Doubling of crop yield through permutation of metabolic pathways. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology. 2: 364-379. Doi: 10.4236/abb.2011.25054.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Parks, AL, Griffin, RW (2011). Economic feasibility of producing biodiesel in Wharton County, Texas. Unpublished manuscript.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Osuji, GO, Brown, TK, South, SM, Johnson, D, and Hyllam, S (2012). Molecular modeling of metabolism for allergen-free low linoleic acid peanuts. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 168: 805-823. DOI 10.1007/s12010-012-9821-6.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Osuji, GO, Brown, TK, South, SM, Duncan, JC, Johnson, D and Hyllam, S (2012). Molecular adaptation of peanut metabolic pathways to wide variations of mineral ion composition and concentration. American Journal of Plant Sciences 3: 33-50. Doi:10.4236/ajps.2012.31003.
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Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Results have been disseminated orally and in narrative form (presentation and journal publication at regional and national levels) to scientific community along with undergraduate and graduate students in the food, biochemical and agricultural sciences. Informal oral dissemination of project information is provided as part of the Goat Field Day and CAHS Agricultural Field Day activities on an annual basis. The product is being shared with technical and scientific audiences through oral and written forms that are tailored to the community's level of knowledge and interest. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals who worked on the project included: 1) undergraduate students at Prairie View A&M University; 2) Dr. R. W. Griffin, Research Scientist at CARC, PVAMU; 3) Dr. L. Carson, Research Scientist at CARC, PVAMU; 4) Dr. R. G. Cuero, Research Scientist at CARC, PVAMU; 5) Dr. A. L. Parks, former Research Director at CARC, PVAMU. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include consumers, students, academicians, food technologists and food and agricultural scientists who are interested in increasing their knowledge related to nutritionally important lipid compounds in food and food additives. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Findings and results from the project have provided a positive impact to the plant and environmental science community by adding to the knowledge base within the specialty crops for cellulosic biomass production and processing arena. Purchase of Miscanthus, Saccharum and Sorghum provided a beneficial impact to the food, biochemical and agricultural sciences community by examining issues related to biomass production and processing.
Publications
- Osuji, G. O., Brown, T., and South, S. M. 2009. Environment-wide reprogramming of mRNAs encoding acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase and lipoxygenase in relation to the fat contents of peanut. Hindawi Journal of Botany (under peer review).
- Osuji, G. O., Brown, T., and South, S. M. 2008. Discovery of RNA synthetic activity of glutamate dehydrogenase and its application in drug metabolism research. The Open Drug Metabolism Journal 2: 1-12.
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