FEEDSTOCK
Spriodela polyrhiza—a specific genera of duckweed—is shown in a flask after a week of growth under lab conditions. Beakers are seeded with one or two plants and grown under light and dark cycles. S. polyrhiza has a genome size of 150 megabases and is being sequenced by researchers at Rutgers University’s Waksman Institute of Microbiology. PHOTO: TODD MICHAEL, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
48 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 6|2009