Methodology

·  WP1: Breeding for low temperature environments

The general objective of this WP is to develop sorghum hybrids optimised for yield and composition of biomass and better adapted to temperate environments. Improved sorghum hybrids have the potential to benefit farmers and agro-industries and contribute to a future sustainable energy supply in Europe.

·  WP2: Breeding for drought prone environments

The general objective of this WP is to develop new lines or hybrids of sweet sorghum with

•  juicy stems with high total sugar content (>17%),
• good production of grain suitable for human or animal alimentation and high biomass with stem girth >2.5 cm,
• better resistance to drought with good adaptation to rainy and/or post rainy season in India,
• improved bagasse digestibility making bagasse suitable for fodder use.

·  WP3: Breeding for low-fertility environments

The general objective of this WP is to develop new lines or hybrids of sweet sorghum with

•  juicy stems with high total sugar content,
• good production of grain suitable for human or animal alimentation,
• better adaptation to soil limiting constraints,
• improved bagasse digestibility making bagasse suitable for fodder use.

Breeding support is provided by 2 other WPs:

·  WP4: Functional analysis and productivity traits

This WP identifies useful traits in sweet sorghums for bio-ethanol production, and characterizes their physiological and genetic basis. It evaluates phenotypic expression of such traits (alone and in combination) and develops ideotype concepts as targets for breeding.

·  WP5: Cultural practices & plant modelling

The overall objective of WP5 is to understand the agronomic determinants of optimized yield in sweet sorghum, evaluate material used and produced on the basis of agronomic traits, and develop a sweet sorghum model. Field evaluation, growth chambers and laboratory tests will be used to identify major yield constraints and diagnostic trait linked to the yield. Parameters as water consumption, nutrient uptake, time and energy consumption of harvest and field operation will be collected and sent to the partners in charge of environmental and economic assessments.

Based on the technologies generated by WP1 to 5 (new varieties, choice of appropriate cultural practices and harvest technologies), a global assessment of the resulting, bio-ethanol based commodity chains, organizational requirements and best choices of transformation technologies in full consideration of the targeted, socio-economic and bio-physical environments will be performed .

·  WP6: Integrated assessment

The activities in WP6 will provide a multicriteria evaluation of the sustainability of sweet sorghum production and use routes taking into account technological, environmental, economic and social aspects.

This integrated assessment of sustainability will generate optimized sweet sorghum production and use systems.

Project results (seed/genotypes, recommended practices and concepts for commodity chain development) generated by SWEETFUEL will be transferred to stakeholders (farmers, farmers' organizations, NARS, agro-industries, policy makers).

·  WP7: Dissemination of results

The objective of work package 7 is to disseminate project activities and results among stakeholders.

This work package will actively promote the exchanges between RTD experts, stakeholders and key actors.

The project is coordinated by CIRAD.

·  WP8: Project management

Activities of this WP include :

• Set-up of the organizational structure to manage the project
• Development of the project in full compliance with the budget, timetable, milestones and deliverables and with respect to EC rules
• Good synergy between all the components of the project by facilitating and promoting a permanent dialogue among the consortium, and between consortium and the EC
• Achievement of project results through smooth and sustainable project implementation