In India, the Deccan Chronicle newspaper reports that in spite of the government significantly restricting ethanol production from sugarcane juice in fear of a sugar shortage, ethanol blending still managed to surpass 15% as of May thanks to ethanol production from grains. Ethanol demand increased 19% during the first nine months of the 2023/24 season […]
In India, Business Standard reported that India’s Cooperation Minister Amit Shah called on sugar mills to explore alternatives to sugarcane for ethanol production. Shah said India would achieve its 20% ethanol blending target by 2025-26, ahead of the original 2030 deadline. The minister highlighted that the government’s ethanol blending program has helped reduce the country’s […]
In Florida, as a hybrid of Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum, sugarcane has the most complex genome of all crops. This complexity means that improving sugarcane through conventional breeding is challenging. Because of this, researchers turn to gene editing tools, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system to precisely target the sugarcane genome for improvement. In their […]
In Germany, Playmobil and McDonald’s are taking a joint step in the use of sustainable play material. From May, Playmobil animal figures made from at least 95 percent sugar cane-based plastic will be included in the Happy Meal® for the first time. The restaurant chain had been looking for bio-based material for over two years […]
In Indonesia, the Vietnam News Agency reports that the government plans to dedicate 2 million hectares of sugarcane in Papau to produce ethanol as part of its efforts to gain energy independence and improving air quality. It is also exploring the use of corn and seaweed as feedstock. The president signed a decree in mid-April […]
In Brazil, Bloomberg reports that Raizen was the first to reach the holy grail: access to the US’s sustainable aviation fuel market. The company sent a cargo of sugarcane-based ethanol to the US as SAF feedstock in March, with Datagro data confirming 25,000 liters went to Savannah, Georgia near LanzaJet’s SAF facility. Lanzajet says it […]
In Brazil, Bloomberg reports Sao Martinho expects it will beat domestically-grown corn-based ethanol as the first Sustainable Aviation Fuel feedstock in the US, thanks to landing required certifications, including the one from Corsia as well as EPA registration. The company expects to produce between 3.4 million and 4 million gallons of sugarcane ethanol for export […]
In California, until now, sugarcane’s complicated genetics made it the last major crop without a complete and highly accurate genome. Scientists have developed and combined multiple techniques to successfully map out sugarcane’s genetic code. With that map, they were able to verify the specific location that provides resistance to the impactful brown rust disease that, […]
In India, The Hindu reported that Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, has urged State governments to promote the production and use of ethanol as an alternative fuel source as he considers that it would not only help save the environment, but also support farmers. “In the near future, we will see […]
In China, current sugarcane breeding methods, involving a lengthy 10- to 12-year multistage selection process, have resulted in slower yield improvements compared to other major crops. The main obstacles in the breeding process include the extended cycle, challenging phenotyping due to substantial biomass, and limited heritability of crucial traits. These issues, particularly the logistical challenges in […]
