Let them eat (GM) straw Original Research Article

Approximately half of aboveground biomass of grain crops (straw) is wasted, with negative ecological and economic impact. Straw use could increase animal production by at least one third if lignin could be transgenically decreased or modified, rendering more carbohydrate available to ruminant animals. Such digestible straw can be upgraded by ammonification, which further separates lignin and serves as a nitrogen source for ruminant bacteria, or biotreatment with ligninolytic fungi and/or physical treatments. Such technologies could supply animal protein to an increasing population, while releasing more grain for direct human consumption without the need to put more land under plough.