Self-Degrading GE Corn? No self-esteem issues here.

Corn's had a tough row to hoe lately. One of the world's leading food crops for generations, it's rapidly being diverted into ethanol production. The simple sugars in the kernels can be fermented into ethanol much faster than the cellulose in the stalks. With a new, self-degrading genetically-engineered corn plant, that's all about to change.

According to this LiveScience article, Michigan State University genetic engineers have developed a strain of corn which develops its own cellulase, an enzyme needed to break down cellulose into simple sugars. The plant sequesters the cellulase until the stalk is crushed and heated.

Cornstalks which can produce their own cellulase means the corn grain can continue to enter the food chain, while the stalks -- usually waste material -- become feedstock (feedstalk?) for the fuel chain.

No word yet on a timetable for further testing and availability of this product.

The wise engineers, sensitive to biodiversity concerns (and patent management), are making a point of ensuring that the cellulase-production genes cannot be passed through simple reproduction.