Herbicide-resistant crops could benefit biofuel composition

The use of crops resistant to the herbicide 2,4-D could have benefits for biofuel composition in terms of the amount of work required to grow the feedstock to a harvestable size.

According to researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Dow AgriSciences, 'superweeds' have rendered some pesticides based on amino acid synthesis ineffective.

This has led to a return to a state where farmers must either pluck weeds from the ground by hand, or sacrifice their entire crop by re-ploughing the affected field.

For those growing crops to contribute towards biofuel composition, that raises the time, cost and energy consumption associated with the process.

Now, however, an alternative may have been discovered in the form of 2,4-D, which acts as a hormone regulator and can be added to the substances desirable plants are resistant to, while still acting to destroy unwanted weeds.

Founded in 1839, the University of Missouri is commonly called Mizzou and is among the top-tier academic institutions in the US.