Systems Biology Research to Advance Bioenergy Crop Production

The DOE SC program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) announces it is receiving applications for research within the Biological Systems Science Division’s (BSSD) Genomic Science Program (GSP) (https://genomicscience.energy.gov) mission-space. In this NOFO, applications are requested for:

·      Systems-level research to improve understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying bioenergy feedstock productivity under changing and at times suboptimal environmental conditions,

·      Systems biology-enabled investigations into the role(s) of microbes and microbial communities (including rhizosphere consortia, e.g. bacteria, fungi, diazotrophs, endophytes, viruses) in supporting plant productivity and vigor are also solicited.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Two areas vital to the Nation’s energy and environmental security motivate the BER research agenda: developing cost-effective biofuels and bioproducts and improving our ability to understand, predict, and mitigate the impacts of energy production in the face of a variable environment. BER has invested in plant and plant-microbe interactions research with the goal of advancing production of biofuels/bioproducts from domestic lignocellulosic and oilseed crop sources. These efforts have increased our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying feedstock productivity and facilitated development of next- generation bioenergy crops that utilize novel, efficient bioenergy strategies that can be replicated on a mass scale. However, several knowledge gaps and challenges remain towards attaining the goal of developing vigorous crops with superior growth and yield under varying environmental conditions. A better understanding of the underlying genetic and physiological mechanisms influencing plant productivity, resource use efficiency, and adaptation and resilience to abiotic stress are needed. Also of interest is how beneficial plant-microbe associations may enhance requisite plant processes to enable manipulation of these associations for improving plant traits. Furthermore, available computational technologies and infrastructure may provide opportunities to connect and integrate information across multiple spatial and temporal scales to better understand the behavior of complex biological systems and to develop a predictive understanding of sustainability outcomes over a range of future climate scenarios [U.S. DOE.2014. Research for Sustainable Bioenergy: Linking Genomic and Ecosystem Sciences, Workshop Report, DOE/SC-0167. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. https://www.genomicscience.energy.gov/research-for-sustainable-bioenergy-linking-genomic-and-ecosystem-sciences/].

DOE-BER’s GSP (https://genomicscience.energy.gov/) supports fundamental research to identify the basic principles that drive biological systems. These principles govern translation of the genetic code into integrated networks of proteins, enzymes, regulatory elements, and metabolite pools underlying the functional processes of organisms. The Genomic Science program aims to support the DOE’s bioenergy development mission by leveraging omics-driven tools and systems biology approaches to address key challenges facing the sustainable production of bioenergy crops as an economically and environmentally viable alternative resource for fuels, chemicals, and products currently produced from fossil fuel resources. This NOFO aims to build upon the advances made since previous BER investments in this area, seeking to apply systems biology and omics technologies to map the complex networks and molecular mechanisms of bioenergy crop growth, development, and metabolism for sustainable and resilient bioenergy crop production. Understanding the multi-organismal “biofuel crop+soil+microbe ecosystem” presents a unique challenge, which is further complicated by environmental impacts. The ability to predict plant and microbial species’ responses to a changing environment will be critical to understanding potential environmental impacts as well as for optimizing feedstock production.

Applications are solicited for systems biology-driven basic research on the fundamental principles of bioenergy crop production in relationship to the associated environmental context. Species of interest include but are not limited to candidate bioenergy plants (e.g., sorghum, energy cane, Miscanthus, switchgrass, Populus) and non-food oilseed crops (e.g., Camelina). Proposed projects should be hypothesis-driven and focus on understanding productivity and the effects of abiotic stresses and nutrient availability. Such deep understanding will enable the development of bioenergy crops that are tolerant to environmental stressors, require less agronomic inputs, and are resilient and/or adaptable to varying environmental conditions.