Thousand Oaks, California
December 11, 2008
Ceres, Inc. announced today that it has begun booking
switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum seed under its Blade Energy
Crops label. The highly anticipated launch marks the first seed
sales of non-food, low-carbon crops developed specifically as
raw materials for biofuels and biopower. The company
simultaneously launched a Blade website to support
direct-to-farm sales.
The company reported that the first Blade products build on the
inherent advantages of these highly efficient crops, offering
double-digit biomass yield gains in many cases — a remarkable
level of improvement by crop science standards. High yields are
needed since widely dispersed sources of biomass are
cost-prohibitive to harvest and transport.
Anna Rath, vice president of commercial development, says that
switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum can provide new options for
growers, especially on underperforming acres. While she expects
the bulk of Blade seed to be sold to bioenergy companies this
first year, the company has set aside seed for growers
interested in gaining experience with these crops as the market
for biomass develops.
“With mandates for 21 billion gallons of biofuels from non-corn
sources and renewed interest in cleaner-burning alternatives to
coal, energy crops could offer farm operators a sizeable
opportunity. No doubt growers with experience under their belts
will have a head start as bioenergy companies begin looking for
larger-scale supplies of biomass, or locations to site new
facilities,” Rath suggested. She noted that there are various
state and federal initiatives to support growers, including the
Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which is expected to be
introduced soon by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
First seed products
Blade sales director Frank Hardimon said that many bioenergy
producers are looking for a mix of crops to provide flexibility
from year to year and mitigate risk. "With a perennial and an
annual crop in our product portfolio, we can support a broad
range of geographies and production systems,” he said.
Blade seed products include two improved switchgrass seed
varieties — EG 1101 and EG 1102 — and two new high-biomass
sorghum hybrids — ES 5200 and ES 5201.
EG 1101 is a lowland-type switchgrass bred for greater biomass
yields and better establishment. It has high biofuel conversion
potential, and has shown superior conversion characteristics for
biochemical and thermochemical processes. “It may work well in a
2-cut system in high rainfall areas,” noted Hardimon. A similar
cultivar, EG 1102, is adapted farther north than EG 1101.
Several switchgrass varieties suited to mid and northern
latitudes are also available from Blade.
ES 5200 and ES 5201 are two high-biomass sorghum hybrids that
offer high yield potential in single-cut harvest systems. Since
the plants generally do not produce grain heads until very late
in the season, if at all, they continue growing —and producing
more biomass — until early autumn or the first killing freeze.
“This offers the potential for tremendous productivity,” said
Hardimon. Blade will also have sorghum hybrids suited to
multi-cut harvest systems.
Blade will also be the first major brand to package sorghum seed
by count rather than weight — an industry practice that has been
well received in corn and soy. “This allows producers to
purchase only the amount of seed they need rather than having to
overbuy to cover variations in seeds per pound,” Hardimon said.
Likewise, Blade switchgrass seed will be sold as pounds of pure
live seed (PLS) – rather than bulk weight — so customers will
purchase only viable seeds.
Hardimon said that he has been encouraged by the early interest
he has received from members of the grower community. Brand
representatives are now making farm visits and taking
over-the-phone bookings, but he encouraged growers to try out
the online booking option at the Blade website — a service that
has not been widely available in the seed industry. “Our goal is
to make our seed as accessible as possible,” he said. Seed will
begin shipping as early as January 2009, ahead of spring
plantings.
Growers can find more information about these products or book
seed at www.BladeEnergy.com.
Ceres, Inc. is a leading developer and marketer of
high-yielding energy crops that can be planted as raw materials
for cellulosic ethanol production and biopower. Its development
efforts cover switchgrass, sorghum, miscanthus, energycane and
short-rotation woody crops. The plant breeding and biotechnology
company markets its switchgrass seed and sorghum seed under its
Blade Energy Crops brand. Ceres holds one of the world’s largest
proprietary collections of fully sequenced plant genes. The
privately held firm also licenses its technology and traits to
other organizations. |
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