Imagine if plants could act like super-sponges, soaking up more sunlight and air pollution to grow faster. This work tweaks how barley breathes and captures energy to grow more bulk without losing grain quality. The leftover stalks are then redesigned to be stronger or richer in protein, turning farm waste into high-value industrial raw materials.
Current crop biomass is often inefficient for industrial use due to poor quality and low volume. Companies struggle to find sustainable, high-protein or low-lignin plant materials that are economically competitive with synthetic alternatives.
The project has identified 20 specific barley lines with modified protein and lignin levels and established field trial protocols for biomass testing.
If you are a bio-lubricant manufacturer dealing with expensive or unstable raw material sources — this project developed barley lines with increased straw protein content that serves as an alternative feed and lubricant production source.
If you are a construction panel producer dealing with the need for greener alternatives to synthetic boards — this project developed barley straw with controlled cellulose and lignin properties to create straw-based construction panels.
If you are a polymer manufacturer dealing with high carbon footprints from virgin plastics — this project developed tailored barley straw to be used as reinforcement in polymer composites.
The project expects to increase above ground total biomass production by 15-20% without modifying the grain yield.
Based on available project data, the project aims to make the processing of biomass into materials economically competitive, though specific price points are not provided.
The project includes 7 industrial partners and is currently organizing field trials across different locations to test management strategies and sowing densities.
Based on available project data, the project uses gene editing and transgenic engineering to create these lines, but specific licensing terms are not yet detailed.
The project period runs from 2023-07-01 to 2028-06-30, suggesting that final validated cultivars will be available toward 2028.
The consortium is highly balanced for commercialization, featuring a 39% industry ratio with 7 industrial partners and 2 SMEs. This strong link between 8 universities/research centers and the private sector ensures that the genetic improvements in barley are directly aligned with the technical requirements of straw processing and construction industries.
Contact the Università degli Studi di Milano for technical details on the 20 identified barley lines.
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the BEST-CROP consortium for early access to tailored biomass traits.
