Reducing Lighting Energy Use in Controlled Agricultural Environments

Photometric simulations using both daylight and electric lighting were performed to compare the energy use of conventional high-pressure sodium (HPS) greenhouse lighting to that of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. Photometric simulations of a hypothetical greenhouse were performed in three different geographic locations in the United States with widely different annual daylight availability: Albany, NY, Fairbanks, AK, and Phoenix, AZ. Simulation conditions included summer and winter, overcast and clear skies, and several lighting layouts and distributions. The analysis showed that, while maintaining the criteria levels of photosynthetic photon flux density, lighting energy savings were primarily attributable to increased LED source efficacy rather than HPS. Secondary energy savings were attributable to the ability to continuously dim LED lighting in response to daily and seasonal changes in daylight. Despite options for LED luminaires with a slim form factor, reduced crop shading compared with larger conventional HPS luminaires did not result in significant lighting energy savings

The Iowa Grain Quality Initiative

The Iowa Grain Quality Initiative (IGQI) is an interdisciplinary grain quality research and information program. IGQI developed through a common interest from five Iowa organizations to increase the value of Iowa grain. These organizations united in the belief that matching grain quality more closely to specific end users' needs would promote economic growth.</p

Iowa State University Extension Iowa Grain Quality Initiative

The worldwide emphasis on quality management is beginning to affect grain marketing in that users are identifying specific attributes that have additional economic importance. The Iowa Grain Quality Initiative (IGQI), a consortium of producer, industry, government and university experts, was formed to assist in the development of user-driven marketing strategies. Value-added grains, grains that exceed normal commodity grain in user performance or function, will present a wide range of challenges for producers and handlers, but represent potential value increases of 10-30 cents per bushel, more in very specialized applications.</p

Iowa Gold Catalog High-Oil Corn Test 1998

Seed corn companies entered high-oil corn blends in this field test (1998). Results are presented.</p

Iowa Gold Catalog High-Oil Corn Test 1998

Seed corn companies entered high-oil corn blends in this field test (1998). Results are presented.https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/extension_pubs/1273/thumbnail.jp

Survey of non-conventional yeasts for lipid and hydrocarbon biotechnology

Non-conventional yeasts have an untapped potential to expand biotechnology and enable process development necessary for a circular economy. They are especially convenient for the field of lipid and hydrocarbon biotechnology because they offer faster growth than plants, easier scalability than microalgae and exhibit increased tolerance relative to some bacteria. The ability of industrial organisms to import and metabolically transform lipids and hydrocarbons are crucial in such applications. Here, we assessed the ability of 14 yeasts to utilize 18 model lipids and hydrocarbons from six functional groups and three carbon chain lengths. The studied strains covered 12 genera from nine families. Nine non-conventional yeast performed better than Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the most common industrial yeast. Rhodotorula toruloides, Candida maltosa, Scheffersomyces stipis and Yarowia lipolytica were observed to grow significantly better and on more types of lipid and lipid-molecules than other strains. They were all able to utilize mid to long-chain fatty acids, fatty alcohols, alkanes, alkenes and dicarboxylic acids, including 28 previously unreported substrates across the four yeasts. Interestingly, a phylogenetic analysis showed a short evolutionary distance between the R. toruloides and C. maltosa and S. stipitis, even though R. toruloides is classified under a different phylum. This work provides valuable insight into the lipid substrate range of non-conventional yeasts that can inform species selection decisions and viability of lipid feedstocks.This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology following peer review. The version of record: Rodriguez-Ocasio, Efrain, Ammara Khalid, Charles J. Truka, Mark A. Blenner, and Laura R. Jarboe. "Survey of non-conventional yeasts for lipid and hydrocarbon biotechnology." Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (2022) is available online at DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuac010. Copyright 2022 The Author(s). Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Posted with permission