BIOENERGY – Common Wheat variety selection for the production of ethanol

Bioenergy In relation to increasing political concern for the subject of energy and the environment and, particularly, because of obligations deriving from adhesion to the Kyoto protocol for the reduction of greenhouse gases, the European Community is adopting measures to encourage cultivation for energy production. The advantages are both in terms of the balance of CO2, and of a reduced dependence on fossil fuels. Among energy-producing crops are the cereals whose main use is in the production of ethanol, which can be used directly as a fuel component or for the preparation of ETBE (EtilTerButilEtere), a high octane by-product. Defiscalisation policies are encouraging this usage, and agreements have also been signed in Italy between growers’ associations to increase the production of cereals for bioethanol substantially. However, cereals designed for energy production are in competition with the production of foodstuffs. Therefore, it is even more important to improve the bioethanol production chain to maximize the yield of agricultural land intended for this use. An important contribution comes from genetics, with the constitution of specific varieties to satisfy different requirements, from cultivation to transformation into ethanol. A project has therefore been implemented to select specific varieties of common wheat. Varieties will be chosen to comply with the qualitative characteristics for this intended use, together with good resistance to the main pathologies and high efficiency in the use of water and nitrogenous resources, to optimize cultivation within a low-input regime.