Fat worms confirm are playing a role in improved biofuel and animal feed production.

Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves, a feat that could improve biofuel production. The research was led by Christoph Benning, MSU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology along with a team from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.

The results of the study were published in the journal, The Plant Cell, and show that researchers could us an algae gene involved in oil production to engineer a plant that stores lipids or vegetable oil in it leaves. This is uncommon for most plants.

To date, little research has been done to examine the oil production of leaves and stems because in nature, most plants don’t store lipids in these tissues.

“Many researchers are trying to enhance plants’ energy density, and this is another way of approaching it,” Benning said. “It’s a proof-of-concept that could be used to boost plants’ oil production for biofuel use as well as improve the nutrition levels of animal feed.”

Benning and his colleagues began by identifying five genes from one-celled green algae. From the five, they identified one that, when inserted into Arabidopsis thaliana, successfully boosted oil levels in the plant’s leaf tissue. Next, to confirm that the improved plants were more nutritious and contained more energy, the research team fed them to caterpillar larvae, who gained more weight than worms that ate regular leaves.

The research team is now focusing on the enhancing oil production in grasses and algae that have economic value. Benning says the benefits of the research make it worth pursuing.

“If oil can be extracted from leaves, stems and seeds, the potential energy capacity of plants may double,” he said. “Further, if algae can be engineered to continuously produce high levels of oil, rather than only when they are under stress, they can become a viable alternative to traditional agricultural crops.”

Moreover, algae can be grown on poor agricultural land – a big plus in the food vs. fuel debate, he added.

Ultimately the team believes they are helping to write a new chapter in the development and production of quantity, quality and profitability of traditional and nontraditional crops for use for feed and fuel.