Biotechnology

SG Biofuels plant biotechnology program is accelerating the improvement of Jatropha through the association of molecular markers with trait genes and the development of plant regeneration, transformation and dihaploid technologies. The company has formed an alliance with Life Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of advanced biotechnology and synthetic biology tools. Those tools, combined with SG Biofuels' extensive germplasm library, provide an unprecedented platform from which to quickly identify and advance commercial traits impacting yield and profitability.

The partnership has successfully sequenced the Jatropha curcas genome, using the SOLiD™ 4.0 System by Life Technologies. Working with Life Technologies, SG Biofuels has used the sequence to generate a high quality Jatropha reference genome. The genome has been used to compare re-sequences generated from SG Biofuels' germplasm library– to identify molecular markers and trait genes to accelerate development of elite cultivars. This work has also advanced the introduction of transgenic plants with further improved traits.