Biomass from the site will, says the company, be processed into biofuel at EdeniQ's Visalia test plant, beginning later this year. Over the course of the trial, it will evaluate the impact of different inputs like water, and even renewable compost, on biomass yields from two commercial switchgrass varieties, EG 1101 and EG 1102. The company has previously tested high-biomass sweet sorghum in the Central Valley and has ongoing trials of energycane in California's Imperial Valley.

EdeniQ CEO Larry Gross said that the trial results will provide the company with real-world data about the economic and environmental benefits of producing advanced biofuels with its proprietary technology. "EdeniQ is focusing on process technologies that enable the cost-effective production of advanced biofuels," he explained. "That means understanding all the processes from ‘field-to-fuel.' How an energy crop is grown, harvested, stored and transported has profound implications on the downstream processes that ultimately convert it into fuel."

Gross noted that switchgrass and sorghum, in particular, have performed well in California, often exceeding national yield averages, and should perform well with EdeniQ's cellulosic technology. He said the hearty plants are expected to thrive even on marginal land, such as areas of the Central Valley that have been aggressively irrigated for years and, due to salinity, may not be ideal for other crops.

Anna Rath, Ceres' vice president of commercial development, said that working with a process technology company like EdeniQ will give the feedstock developer greater insight into what an advanced biofuels industry could look like in California's Central Valley and elsewhere.

"We have the opportunity here to see the value chain from multiple perspectives, with the goal of optimizing the overall process via improvements we can make in crop management and post-harvest recommendations. Longer term, the data generated will also inform the development of improved seed products and traits," said Rath.

"We're thrilled to be working with Ceres," noted Gross. "Together we'll gain the end-to-end understanding of producing biofuels from energy crops needed to maximize the new industry's financial and environmental performance. And, along the way, we might just discover another cash crop for California."