Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
J Plant Physiol. 2011 Nov 1;168(16):1877-84. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2011.05.015. Epub 2011 Jun 29.
Concerns about future fossil fuel supplies and the environmental effects of their consumption have prompted the search for alternative sources of liquid fuels, specifically biofuels. However, it is important that the sources of such biofuel have minimal impact on global food supplies, land use, and commodity prices. Many legume trees can be grown on so-called marginal land with beneficial effects to the environment through their symbiotic interaction with "Rhizobia" and the associated process of root nodule development and biological nitrogen fixation. Once established legume trees can live for many years and some produce an annual yield of oil-rich seeds. For example, the tropical and sub-tropical legume tree Pongamia pinnata produces large seeds (∼1.5-2g) that contain about 40% oil, the quality and composition of which is regarded as highly desirable for sustainable biofuel production. Here we consider the benefits of legume trees as future energy crops, particularly in relation to their impact on nitrogen inputs and the net energy balance for biofuel production, and also ways in which these as yet fully domesticated species may be further improved for optimal use as biofuel feedstock.
对未来化石燃料供应的担忧以及它们消耗所带来的环境影响，促使人们寻找替代液体燃料的来源，特别是生物燃料。然而，这些生物燃料的来源对全球粮食供应、土地利用和商品价格的影响应尽可能小。许多豆类树木可以在所谓的边际土地上生长，通过与“根瘤菌”的共生相互作用以及相关的根瘤发育和生物固氮过程，对环境产生有益的影响。一旦建立，豆类树木可以存活多年，有些树木每年都会产生富含油的种子。例如，热带和亚热带豆类树木麻疯树会产生大种子（∼1.5-2g），其中含有约 40%的油，其质量和组成被认为非常适合可持续生物燃料生产。在这里，我们考虑豆类树木作为未来能源作物的好处，特别是它们对氮素投入和生物燃料生产的净能量平衡的影响，以及如何进一步改进这些尚未完全驯化的物种，以最佳地用作生物燃料原料。
