GM tobacco has up to 60 percent higher oil content than soybeans, per acre: report

In Pennsylvania, researchers with the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories at Thomas Jefferson University have increased oil yields from tobacco leaves to 6.8 percent. Tobacco seeds have up to 40 percent oil content, but seed yields are in the 0.6 tons per acre range. With tobacco leaf productivity in the 1.5 tons per acre range, the total oil yield could increase to as high as .342 tons, or 90 gallons, per acre — significantly higher than oil yields from soybeans.

According to the researchers report, “By genetic engineering, they achieved oil yields of 5.8% oil per dry weight by modifying the DGAT while changes to the LEC2 resulted in a yield of 6.8% per dry weight.”

GM tobacco has up to 60 percent higher oil content than soybeans, per acre: report is a post from: Biofuels Digest