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Book Association Mapping of Cell Wall Synthesis Regulatory Genes and Cell Wall Quality in Switchgrass

Download or read book Association Mapping of Cell Wall Synthesis Regulatory Genes and Cell Wall Quality in Switchgrass written by and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inefficient conversion of biomass to biofuels is one of the main barriers for biofuel production from such materials. Approximately half of polysaccharides in biomass remain unused by typical biochemical conversion methods. Conversion efficiency is influenced by the composition and structure of cell walls of biomass. Grasses such as wheat, maize, and rice, as well as dedicated perennial bioenergy crops, like switchgrass, make up ~55% of biomass that can be produced in the United States. Grass cell walls have a different composition and patterning compared with dicotyledonous plants, including the well-studied model plant, Arabidopsis. This project identified genetic determinants of cell wall composition in grasses using both naturally occurring genetic variation of switchgrass and gene network reconstruction and functional assays in rice. In addition, the project linked functional data in rice and other species to switchgrass improvement efforts through curation of the most abundant class of regulators in the switchgrass genome. Characterizing natural diversity of switchgrass for variation in cell wall composition and properties, also known as quality, provides an unbiased avenue for identifying biologically viable diversity in switchgrass cell walls. To characterizing natural diversity, this project generated cell wall composition and enzymatic deconstruction data for ~450 genotypes of the Switchgrass Southern Association Collection (SSAC), a diverse collection composed of 36 switchgrass accessions from the southern U.S. distribution of switchgrass. Comparing these data with other measures of cell wall quality for the same samples demonstrated the complementary nature of the diverse characterization platforms now being used for biomass characterization. Association of the composition data with ~3.2K single nucleotide variant markers identified six significant single nucleotide variant markers co-associated with digestibility and another compositional trait. These markers might be used to select switchgrass genotypes with improved composition in breeding programs for biofuel and forage production. Because the SSAC continues to be characterized by collaborators in the bioenergy community, the data generated will be used to identify additional markers in higher resolution genotyping data to approach identifying the genes and alleles that cause natural variation in switchgrass cell wall quality. For example, these markers can be surveyed in the 2100-member Oklahoma Southern and Northern Lowland switchgrass collections that this project also characterized. An orthogonal approach to biodiversity studies, using comparative functional genomics permits systematic querying of how much regulatory information is likely to be transferable from dicots to grasses and use of accumulated functional genomics resources for better-characterized grass species, such as rice, itself a biomass source in global agriculture and in certain regions. The project generated and tested a number of specific hypotheses regarding cell wall transcription factors and enzymes of grasses. To aid identification of cell wall regulators, the project assembled a novel, highdepth and -quality gene association network using a general linearized model scoring system to combine rice gene network data. Using known or putative orthologs of Arabidopsis cell wall biosynthesis genes and regulators, the project pulled from this network a cell wall sub-network that includes 96 transcription factors. Reverse genetics of a co-ortholog of the Arabidopsis MYB61 transcription factor in rice revealed that this regulatory node has evolved the ability to regulate grass-specific cell wall synthesis enzymes. A transcription factor with such activity has not been previously characterized to our knowledge, representing a major conclusion of this work. Changes in gene expression in a protoplast-based assay demonstrated positive or negative roles in cell wall regulation for eleven other tr ...

Book Genetic Dissection of Cell Wall Traits and Digestibility in Switchgrass

Download or read book Genetic Dissection of Cell Wall Traits and Digestibility in Switchgrass written by Shiyu Chen and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Switchgrass is a favorable bioenergy crop due to its ability to provide lignocellulosic biomass at an energy efficient level. The presence of lignin and its interplay with hemicellulose in the secondary cell wall can inhibit enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomass, limit the ethanol yield and increase the cost of bioethanol production. Understanding the genetic control of cell wall traits could help improve the biomass quality for bioenergy production or forage utilization. The breeding populations selected for divergent digestibility provided a platform for identifying the genetic polymorphisms that could be associated with high digestibility. Four candidate genes, caffeic acid O-methyltransferase 1 & 2 genes (COMT1 & COMT2), Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenase 2 gene (CAD2) and 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase 1 (4CL1) were sequenced repeatedly in five divergent cycles. In total, 183 polymorphisms were identified and the allele frequencies were calculated at each polymorphic site using read counts of the allelic variants within each population. Twenty-five loci in the intron regions and four loci in coding regions of COMT1 and 4CL1 were found to display a selection signature. The recurrent divergent selection caused increased moderate allele frequencies in the cycle 3 reduced lignin population compared to the base population. To further understand the genetic of biomass quality traits in a genome context, genome-wide association study on lignin, hydroxycinnamates and digestibility was conducted in a diverse switchgrass panel. Single-SNP and gene-level association identified significant genes involved in metabolic pathways including carbon and carbohydrate metabolism, phytohormone metabolism, signaling pathways and transcription. The significant gene distributed across the genome with three regions containing clusters of genes from all traits. Genes in the carbon metabolic pathways are directly or indirectly involved in the signal pathways. The phytohormone signaling pathways of IAA, brassinosteroid and gibberellin could regulate cell elongation, cell cycle, and cell proliferation, and in turn result in phenotypic differences in the cell wall traits. The pathway significantly over-represented the functional groups annotated from association study, and also highlighted phenylpropanoid pathway, nucleotide metabolism, and circadian rhythm as pathways related to the cell wall traits.

Book Translational Genomics for the Improvement of Switchgrass

Download or read book Translational Genomics for the Improvement of Switchgrass written by and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our objectives were to apply bioinformatics and high throughput sequencing technologies to identify and classify the genes involved in cell wall formation in maize and switchgrass. Targets for genetic modification were to be identified and cell wall materials isolated and assayed for enhanced performance in bioprocessing. We annotated and assembled over 750 maize genes into gene families predicted to function in cell wall biogenesis. Comparative genomics of maize, rice, and Arabidopsis sequences revealed differences in gene family structure. In addition, differences in expression between gene family members of Arabidopsis, maize and rice underscored the need for a grass-specific genetic model for functional analyses. A forward screen of mature leaves of field-grown maize lines by near-infrared spectroscopy yielded several dozen lines with heritable spectroscopic phenotypes, several of which near-infrared (nir) mutants had altered carbohydrate-lignin compositions. Our contributions to the maize genome sequencing effort built on knowledge of copy number variation showing that uneven gene losses between duplicated regions were involved in returning an ancient allotetraploid to a genetically diploid state. For example, although about 25% of all duplicated genes remain genome-wide, all of the cellulose synthase (CesA) homologs were retained. We showed that guaiacyl and syringyl lignin in lignocellulosic cell-wall materials from stems demonstrate a two-fold natural variation in content across a population of maize Intermated B73 x Mo7 (IBM) recombinant inbred lines, a maize Association Panel of 282 inbreds and landraces, and three populations of the maize Nested Association Mapping (NAM) recombinant inbred lines grown in three years. We then defined quantitative trait loci (QTL) for stem lignin content measured using pyrolysis molecular-beam mass spectrometry, and glucose and xylose yield measured using an enzymatic hydrolysis assay. Among five multi-year QTL for lignin abundance, two for 4-vinylphenol abundance, and four for glucose and/or xylose yield, not a single QTL for aromatic abundance and sugar yield was shared. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for lignin abundance and sugar yield of the 282-member maize Association Panel provided candidate genes in the eleven QTL and showed that many other alleles impacting these traits exist in the broader pool of maize genetic diversity. The maize B73 and Mo17 genotypes exhibited surprisingly large differences in gene expression in developing stem tissues, suggesting certain regulatory elements can significantly enhance activity of biomass synthesis pathways. Candidate genes, identified by GWAS or by differential expression, include genes of cell-wall metabolism, transcription factors associated with vascularization and fiber formation, and components of cellular signaling pathways. Our work provides new insights and strategies beyond modification of lignin to enhance yields of biofuels from genetically tailored biomass.

Book Compendium of Bioenergy Plants

Download or read book Compendium of Bioenergy Plants written by Hong Luo and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-03-14 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains the most comprehensive reviews on the latest development of switchgrass research including the agronomy of the plant, the use of endophytes and mycorrhizae for biomass production, genetics and breeding of bioenergy related traits, molecular genetics and molecular breeding, genomics, transgenics, processing, bioconversion, biosystem and chemical engineering, biomass production modeling, economics of switchgrass feedstock production etc. The book will be of interest and great value to the switchgrass research communities in both academia and industry and a handbook for agronomists, geneticists, breeders, molecular biologists, physiologists, biosystems engineers and chemical engineers.

Book Plant Cell Walls

    Book Details:
  • Author : Peter Albersheim
  • Publisher : Garland Science
  • Release : 2010-04-15
  • ISBN : 1136843582
  • Pages : 430 pages

Download or read book Plant Cell Walls written by Peter Albersheim and published by Garland Science. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant cell walls are complex, dynamic cellular structures essential for plant growth, development, physiology and adaptation. Plant Cell Walls provides an in depth and diverse view of the microanatomy, biosynthesis and molecular physiology of these cellular structures, both in the life of the plant and in their use for bioproducts and biofuels. Plant Cell Walls is a textbook for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, as well as a professional-level reference book. Over 400 drawings, micrographs, and photographs provide visual insight into the latest research, as well as the uses of plant cell walls in everyday life, and their applications in biotechnology. Illustrated panels concisely review research methods and tools; a list of key terms is given at the end of each chapter; and extensive references organized by concept headings provide readers with guidance for entry into plant cell wall literature. Cell wall material is of considerable importance to the biofuel, food, timber, and pulp and paper industries as well as being a major focus of research in plant growth and sustainability that are of central interest in present day agriculture and biotechnology. The production and use of plants for biofuel and bioproducts in a time of need for responsible global carbon use requires a deep understanding of the fundamental biology of plants and their cell walls. Such an understanding will lead to improved plant processes and materials, and help provide a sustainable resource for meeting the future bioenergy and bioproduct needs of humankind.

Book Genomics of the Saccharinae

    Book Details:
  • Author : Andrew H. Paterson
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2012-09-14
  • ISBN : 1441959475
  • Pages : 562 pages

Download or read book Genomics of the Saccharinae written by Andrew H. Paterson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-09-14 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Saccharinae clade of the Poaceae (grass) family of flowering plants includes several important crops with a rich history of contributions to humanity and the promise of still-greater contributions, as a result of some of the highest biomass productivity levels known, resilience to drought and other environmental challenges that are likely to increase, amenability to production systems that may mitigate or even reverse losses of ecological capital such as topsoil erosion, and the recent blossoming of sorghum as a botanical and genomic model for the clade. In Genomics of the Saccharinae, advances of the past decade and earlier are summarized and synthesized to elucidate the current state of knowledge of the structure, function, and evolution of the Sorghum, Saccharum, and Miscanthus genera, and progress in the application of this knowledge to crop improvement. As a backdrop, it is important to understand the naturally occurring diversity in each genus, its organization and distribution, and its evolutionary history. Genomic tools and methods for Saccharinae biology and improvement have improved dramatically in the past few years – a detailed summary of these tools and their applications is a central element of this book. Application of genomic tools to priorities in crop improvement, including understanding and manipulating plant growth and development, composition, and defense, as well as increasing the quality and productivity of seed/grain, sugar, biomass, and other value-added products under a range of conditions and inputs, are addressed. In particular, as the first native African crop to emerge as a genomic model, sorghum offers an excellent case study of challenges and opportunities in linking new advances in biosciences to solving some of Africa’s major agricultural problems. Several members of the clade, exemplified by Sorghum halepense (Johnsongrass) offer insights into weediness and invasion biology. The first sequence for a member of the clade, sorghum, as well as progress and challenges toward sequencing of additional members and the new opportunities that this will create, are also explored. Indeed, the very complexities that have hindered study of some clade members also offer intriguing opportunities to gain insight into fundamental questions such as roles of polyploidy in agricultural productivity and post-polyploidy evolution.

Book Vital Forest Graphics

Download or read book Vital Forest Graphics written by Frédéric Achard and published by UNEP/Earthprint. This book was released on 2009 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forests are very important for the world's population and large and play critical role in the Earth's life support system, including global carbon and hydrological cycles. This publication provides an overview of the global trends in forest cover and looks specifically at the four largest forest ecosystems and analyses the trends and challenges in their conservation and management. It scrutinizes some of the key drivers behind forest loss, including the increasing demand for commodities and energy. Finally it reviews some of the best practices for sustainable management of forest, including regulatory regimes, participatory management and economic incentives

Book Transforming Glycoscience

    Book Details:
  • Author : National Research Council
  • Publisher : National Academies Press
  • Release : 2012-10-23
  • ISBN : 0309260868
  • Pages : 171 pages

Download or read book Transforming Glycoscience written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-10-23 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new focus on glycoscience, a field that explores the structures and functions of sugars, promises great advances in areas as diverse as medicine, energy generation, and materials science, this report finds. Glycans-also known as carbohydrates, saccharides, or simply as sugars-play central roles in many biological processes and have properties useful in an array of applications. However, glycans have received little attention from the research community due to a lack of tools to probe their often complex structures and properties. Transforming Glycoscience: A Roadmap for the Future presents a roadmap for transforming glycoscience from a field dominated by specialists to a widely studied and integrated discipline, which could lead to a more complete understanding of glycans and help solve key challenges in diverse fields.

Book Lignin and Lignan Biosynthesis

Download or read book Lignin and Lignan Biosynthesis written by Norman G. Lewis and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides new information on the control of monolignal coupling and on modifying the biochemical steps in their formation and configuration. The text provides a critical assessment of recent advances in delineating the relationships and biosynthetic pathways of lignins and lignans. The discussion emphasizes lignin and lignan formation, particularly the templates for lignin assembly and the control of stereochemical coupling.

Book Association Mapping in Plants

    Book Details:
  • Author : Nnadozie C. Oraguzie
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2007-01-06
  • ISBN : 0387360115
  • Pages : 290 pages

Download or read book Association Mapping in Plants written by Nnadozie C. Oraguzie and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-01-06 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides both basic and advanced understanding of association mapping and an awareness of population genomics tools to facilitate mapping and identification of the underlying causes of quantitative trait variation in plants. It acts as a useful review of the marker technology, the statistical methodology, and the progress to date. It also offers guides to the use of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in association studies.

Book Biomass Recalcitrance

    Book Details:
  • Author : Michael Himmel
  • Publisher : Wiley-Blackwell
  • Release : 2008-06-23
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 552 pages

Download or read book Biomass Recalcitrance written by Michael Himmel and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 2008-06-23 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the connection between biomass structure, ultrastructure, and composition, to resistance to enzymatic deconstruction, with the aim of discovering new cost-effective technologies for biorefineries. It contains chapters on topics extending from the highest levels of biorefinery design and biomass life-cycle analysis, to detailed aspects of plant cell wall structure, chemical treatments, enzymatic hydrolysis, and product fermentation options."--Pub. desc.

Book Lignin and Lignans

    Book Details:
  • Author : Cyril Heitner
  • Publisher : CRC Press
  • Release : 2016-04-19
  • ISBN : 142001580X
  • Pages : 686 pages

Download or read book Lignin and Lignans written by Cyril Heitner and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 686 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past four decades, there has been immense progress in every area of lignin science, ranging from the enzymology of lignin biodegradation, to the delignification of wood fiber during pulping and bleaching, to advances in spectroscopy. Lignin and Lignans: Advances in Chemistry captures the developments that have been achieved by world-class

Book Abiotic Stress Response in Plants

Download or read book Abiotic Stress Response in Plants written by Arun Shanker and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2011-08-29 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plants, unlike animals, are sessile. This demands that adverse changes in their environment are quickly recognized, distinguished and responded to with suitable reactions. Drought, heat, cold and salinity are among the major abiotic stresses that adversely affect plant growth and productivity. In general, abiotic stress often causes a series of morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular changes that unfavorably affect plant growth, development and productivity. Drought, salinity, extreme temperatures (cold and heat) and oxidative stress are often interrelated; these conditions singularly or in combination induce cellular damage. To cope with abiotic stresses, of paramount significance is to understand plant responses to abiotic stresses that disturb the homeostatic equilibrium at cellular and molecular level in order to identify a common mechanism for multiple stress tolerance. This multi authored edited compilation attempts to put forth an all-inclusive biochemical and molecular picture in a systems approach wherein mechanism and adaptation aspects of abiotic stress are dealt with. The chief objective of the book hence is to deliver state of the art information for comprehending the effects of abiotic stress in plants at the cellular level.

Book Photosynthesis  Structures  Mechanisms  and Applications

Download or read book Photosynthesis Structures Mechanisms and Applications written by Harvey J.M. Hou and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-05-16 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To address the environmental, socioeconomic, and geopolitical issues associated with increasing global human energy consumption, technologies for utilizing renewable carbon-free or carbon-neutral energy sources must be identified and developed. Among renewable sources, solar energy is quite promising as it alone is sufficient to meet global human demands well into the foreseeable future. However, it is diffuse and diurnal. Thus effective strategies must be developed for its capture, conversion and storage. In this context, photosynthesis provides a paradigm for large-scale deployment. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria and has evolved over 3 billion years. The process of photosynthesis currently produces more than 100 billion tons of dry biomass annually, which equates to a global energy storage rate of ~100 TW. Recently, detailed structural information on the natural photosynthetic systems has been acquired at the molecular level, providing a foundation for comprehensive functional studies of the photosynthetic process. Likewise, sophisticated spectroscopic techniques have revealed important mechanistic details. Such accomplishments have made it possible for scientists and engineers to construct artificial systems for solar energy transduction that are inspired by their biological counterparts. The book contains articles written by experts and world leaders in their respective fields and summarizes the exciting breakthroughs toward understanding the structures and mechanisms of the photosynthetic apparatus as well as efforts toward developing revolutionary new energy conversion technologies. The topics/chapters will be organized in terms of the natural sequence of events occurring in the process of photosynthesis, while keeping a higher-order organization of structure and mechanism as well as the notion that biology can inspire human technologies. For example, the topic of light harvesting, will be followed by charge separation at reaction centers, followed by charge stabilization, followed by chemical reactions, followed by protection mechanisms, followed by other more specialized topics and finally ending with artificial systems and looking forward. As shown in the table of contents (TOC), the book includes and integrates topics on the structures and mechanisms of photosynthesis, and provides relevant information on applications to bioenergy and solar energy transduction.

Book Global Bioethanol

Download or read book Global Bioethanol written by Sergio Luiz Monteiro Salles-Filho and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-06-14 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global Bioethanol: Evolution, Risks, and Uncertainties explores the conceptual and methodological approaches for the understanding of bioethanol technologies, policies and future perspectives. After a decade of huge investments made by big companies and governments all around the world, it is time to talk about the real conditions in which bioethanol will (or will not) evolve. Uncertainties and certainties are discussed and addressed to understand the futures of global bioethanol. The book analyses the evolution of bioethanol in the world’s energy mix under technological, economic and commercial perspectives. It gives particular emphasis on the innovative trajectories of second-generation ethanol and their potential in different countries and regions. Future scenarios are proposed in order to evaluate the possible outcomes of ethanol in a global perspective. For providing a thorough overview of the bioethanol sector from different points of view, this book is a very useful resource for all involved with biofuels in general and bioethanol in particular, including energy engineers, researchers, consultants, analysts and policy makers. Presents a thorough examination of the uncertainties surrounding bioethanol in the future global energy mix Provides a data-driven and updated picture on the technological, economic, and market trends and scenarios for bioethanol Offers a foresight analysis on the perspectives of bioethanol as a global commodity Includes a prospective about who is going to lead the new trajectories in the global arena

Book OMICS Applications in Crop Science

Download or read book OMICS Applications in Crop Science written by Debmalya Barh and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2013-12-16 with total page 710 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Merging topical data from recently published review and research articles, as well as the knowledge and insight of industry experts, Omics Applications in Crop Science delves into plant science, and various technologies that use omics in agriculture. This book concentrates on crop breeding and environmental applications, and examines the applications of various omics technologies including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics to important agronomic, horticultural, medicinal, plantation, fiber, forage, and bioenergy crops. It covers the application of omics technologies in several important crops, including cereal, and pulse. It explores the brassica species, drought tolerance in rice, and genetic engineering of the potato. The book discusses temperate fruits; and omics of medicinal plants, the metabolomics of Catharanthus roseus and how the medicinally important alkaloids of the plant are produced, as well as the omics of another important medicinal plant, Withania somnifera. It examines floriculture, the omics advances in tea, and omics strategies in improving the fiber qualities of cotton. It provides omics-related information on forest trees and forage crops, and offers a detailed account on how omics technologies are applicable in molecular farming, along with associated issues such as commercial aspects of molecular farming, clinical trials of plant-produced pharmaceuticals, regulatory issues and intellectual property rights. Written as a resource for plant biologists, plant breeders, agriculture scientists, researchers and college students studying various fields in agriculture, and the agri industries, OMICS Applications in Crop Science compiles the latest research in this essential field of modern crop and plant science utilizing various omics technologies and their applications in a number of important crops/plants from agronomy, pomology, olericulture, floriculture, medicinal plants, plantation and energy crops, agro-forestry, and more.

Book Forage Cell Wall Structure and Digestibility

Download or read book Forage Cell Wall Structure and Digestibility written by H. G. Jung and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 832 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organization of forage plants tissue. Utilization of forage fiber by ruminants. Perspectives of cell wall biodegradation-session synopsis. Quantitative analysis of cell wall components. Analysis of forage cell wall polysaccharides. Application of methods for the investigation of lignin structure. Analysis of plant cell walls-session synopsis. Composition and structure of cell wall polysaccharides in forages. Lignin/hydroxycinnamic acid/polycinnamic complexes: synthetic models for regiochemical characterization. Comprehensive model of the lignified plant cell wall. Structure of forage cell walls-session synopsis. Cell wall polysaccharide interactions and degradability. Cell wall lignification and degradability . Machanistic models of forage cell wall degradation. Cell wall matrix interactions and degradation-session synopsis. Microbial adhesion and degradation of plants cell walls. Microbial ecology of cell wall fermentation. Enzymatic hydrolysis of forage cell walls. Microbial and molecular mechanisms of cell wall degradation-session synopsis. Particle-size reduction by ruminants-effects of cell wall. Kinetics of cell wall digestion and passage in ruminants., Influence of feeding management on ruminant fiber digestibility., Cell wall degradation in the ruminant-session synopsis. Cell wall biosynthesis and its regulation. Environmental and genetic effects on cell wall composition and digestibility. Postharvest treatment of fibrous feedstuffs to improve their nutritive value. Machanisms for altering cell wall utilization-session synopsis.