Environmental Research

Highlights from the Biofuel and Bioenergy mini-symposium View the Audio and Video

BTI has a long and distinguished history of environmental research. Today's BTI scientists use molecular, genetic and biochemical tools to address research issues relevant to the environment. For example, Maria Harrison studies phosphorus acquisition by plants. If phosphorus acquisition could be improved, the need for excessive fertilization of crops could be mitigated, resulting in less environmental degradation due to phosphorous mining, and also agricultural runoff, which causes algal blooms. Tom Brutnell studies shade avoidance in maize. Plants more tolerant of shade can be grown at higher density, leading to improved yields. Since corn-based ethanol is a prominent component of our short-term response to the need for biofuels, increased efficiency of corn-growth could decrease the "carbon budget" for producing bioethanol. Because the Triad Foundation recognizes the link between a healthy environment and human health, BTI receives support from the Foundation for research pertaining to "Plants and Human Health" and environment-related research.

BTI is also proud of Emeritus Scientist Carl Leopold, who in 1982 embarked on an innovative project to restore rainforest in Costa Rica. Over 80% of the world's wet tropical forests have been cut but in the 14 years since the project's beginning, Carl has published 3 scientific papers describing the restoration process. Carl's project started with 30 acres of abandoned pasture and 10 short years later the young forest trees stood up to 100 feet tall. Tropical forests are a major carbon sink and their preservation and restoration is an important factor in global climate change.

Climate change has huge impacts on agriculture, and one of BTI's core principles is undertaking basic research relevant to agriculture. One of the accompanying issues directly relevant to BTI research is movement of plant pathogens into places where they were previously unable to survive the winter. Greg Martin, Dan Klessig and Peter Moffett are among BTI scientists whose work seeks to understand how plants defend against pathogens, and how those defenses might be introduced into currently sensitive species.

BTI will continue to seek opportunities to contribute to environmental research, with an ultimate goal, shared by all of us, of a sustainable presence of humans on the planet.