Chromatin, Inc., announced that its sorghum hybrids showed top performance in its 2010 biomass and sugar testing programs when compared to other materials from public, private, and commercial sorghum collections.
In the first trial, 50 biomass sorghum entries were planted in 4 replicate plots and tested for total yield, moisture, energy, and ash content. In a similar, second trial, Chromatin tested 50 types of sweet sorghum, measuring total biomass yield and fermentable carbohydrate in harvested juice.
Chromatin says that the results from these studies indicate that its entries provided the 3 top-yielding biomass sorghum hybrids, and among this group are hybrids with very high BTU (British Thermal Units, or energy) content, low ash content and low moisture retention. In addition, a number of Chromatin’s sorghum materials generated more fermentable sugar per acre than most of the competitors.
These results are highly significant. With a range in the biomass testing program of 18.8 to 4.3 dry tons per acre (entry mean = 10.6), we are very confident that our best materials will deliver superior biomass yields. Further, two of our sorghum hybrids have sugar yields per acre that surpass many sweet sorghum cultivars that are used today. Although research trials are performed on a smaller scale, we are confident that the relative rankings of most entries will replicate in future, larger scale tests.
—Dave Jessen, Chromatin’s CTO
Chromatin is a biotechnology company that is providing access to biomass feedstocks through its relationships with companies in the biopower, chemical, and biofuel sectors. Chromatin’s subsidiary, Sorghum Partners, LLC, sells sorghum seed products to growers, resulting in more than 1 million acres planted worldwide.