In the future, jumbo jets could take off using eucalyptus fuel, as researchers have deciphered the eucalyptus genome. It provides information on the rapid growth and the defensive system of the plant...
...In the British journal "Nature", an international research group reported on the deciphering of the genome of the Australian eucalyptus. It has a natural defence against pests and grows very quickly, both unique properties.
A total of 80 researchers from 18 countries worked for five years on mapping the genome of the eucalyptus grandis. The genome encompasses 680 million base pairs. Alexander Myburg's team at the University of Pretoria in South Africa revealed some peculiarities: about a third of the 36,376 genes responsible for the formation of proteins are repeated twice in a row. This may explain the high productivity of the tree. In addition, the eucalyptus contains the largest number of genes that are responsible for the formation of so-called phytochemicals. The plant protects itself from insects and bacteria with these many different terpenes and volatile oils.
"Now that we understand which genes lead to certain peculiarities, we can grow trees that grow faster, produce better quality timber, use water more efficiently and cope better with climatic differences," says Myburg. "Later on you could inject special eucalyptus genes into bacteria or yeast and make bio-factories from them to produce biofuels on a large scale. In the future, jumbo jets could take off with the aid of renewable eucalyptus fuel."
Nowadays, these eucalyptus species, originally originating in Australia, are cultivated in over a hundred countries. Due to their rapid growth, eucalyptus plantations can meet the growing demand for wood and paper caused by population growth as well as for eucalyptus oils.
Source: Spiegel Online Science
