Our mission

Global increases in energy demand over supply have spurred a tremendous demand for biofuels produced from crops. Capture the sun’s energy in crop plants, take those crops and convert them into usable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel or combustible dry biomass. Decrease our dependence on foreign oil, keep our energy dollars at home, and stimulate the farm economy. And reduce global warming by capturing carbon dioxide. Washington citizens are yearning for home-grown biofuels and the Washington state legislature and state agencies have committed investments in our research and extension programs to help make that happen.

The concept is simple and enticing, but the impacts are controversial and the execution of such a major shift in regional agricultural and energy systems is an extreme challenge. While the Midwestern U.S. simply used their current crops of corn and soybeans as biofuel feedstocks, the Western U.S. is faced with a more daunting task. We are starting at square one by evaluating and adapting alternative crop feedstocks, with the goal of integrating them into existing cropping systems, producing them economically and environmentally sustainable without outcompeting our goal of food production, and in the end ensuring that we develop systems that result in a positive energy balance!

Answers to these questions are to come as we embark on this mission with cautious optimism, and with full knowledge that any real progress will require a sustained global commitment to the vision.

–Bill Pan, project co-director

 

Enter our collaborative workplan.

Researchers from Washington State University and USDA, and collaborators across Washington state initiated a study in August 2007 to evaluate alternative crops that may have the potential to meet some of the increasing demand for biofuel production. Crops and cropping systems are based primarily on location and rainfall; this study intends to answer questions about the agronomic, economic and environmental viability of oilseed and biomass crops in four of the agroclimatic zones of Washington outlined below.

Fall and spring-seeded oilseed crops and perennial grasses are included in both field and laboratory studies (see table below) ranging from variety trials to root growth analysis to genomic traits. Preliminary research reports are available for each of the regions using the links to the left.

 

Crop	Region 1 Eastern WA high rainfall	Region 2 Eastern WA low-intermediate rainfall	Region 3 Central WA irrigated	Region 4 Western WA
Winter Canola	variety trials soil pathogen study planting methods winter survival herbicide performance	variety trials soil pathogen study planting date/rate winter survival herbicide performance	variety trials crop nutrient/water use planting date/rate herbicide performance	variety trials organic production herbicide performance
Spring Canola	nutrient management herbicide performance	nutrient management herbicide performance	nutrient management herbicide performance	variety trials herbicide performance
Winter Camelina	variety trials soil pathogen study winter survival planting date	variety trials cropping systems winter survival	variety trials
Spring Camelina	variety trials soil pathogen study planting date herbicide performance	variety trials herbicide performance	herbicide performance	variety trials herbicide performance
Safflower	variety trials	variety trials	water use efficiency cropping systems nutrient/water requirements	variety trials
Sunflower	variety trials	variety trials		variety trials
Flax	variety trials	variety trials		variety trials
Yellow Mustard	soil pathogen study herbicide performance	herbicide performance	herbicide performance	herbicide performance
Switchgrass			variety trials winter survival seeding date
Soybean*			variety trials planting date
Arundo donax*			water, fertilizer use	feral control
Wheatgrass*	variety trials
Wheatstraw*	genomics

*Affiliated project