Journal of Energy Bioscience 2024, Vol.15, No.6, 349-357 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 350 This study is dedicated to the development of high-fiber maize varieties, with the ultimate goal of adaptability to bioethanol production, and is centered around the problem of lignocellulosic biomass conversion. The core task is to focus on the screening of maize genotypes with higher biomass output characteristics and better quality, while the improvement of cell wall component digestion efficiency is also taken into consideration. The dual value of these genetically improved maize lines in terms of environmental friendliness and economic benefits needs to be systematically evaluated. The comprehensive use of modern genetic genomics technology and phenotypic genomics analysis methods shows that this study plays an important role in promoting the sustainable preparation of biofuels. The realization of the strategic goal of renewable energy will thus obtain new crop genetic resources to support it. 2 High-Fiber Maize 2.1 Definition and characteristics of high-fiber maize Maize strains that have been specially selected or genetically modified have significantly increased fiber content in their biomass, which is the definition of high-fiber maize. The main substances that make up the cell wall are composed of hemicellulose, lignin, and cellulose. The increase in maize fiber content can be achieved by increasing the concentration of cellulose. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), as core indicators for evaluating fiber composition, are usually measured at higher values in these strains (Choudhary et al., 2019). The genetic differences between local germplasm resources and hybrid combinations provide a rich genetic material basis for fiber-enhanced breeding projects (Munaiz et al., 2021). 2.2 Role of fiber content in enhancing bioethanol yield and production efficiency Due to the development of second-generation biofuels based on lignocellulose, corn with high fiber content is needed as raw material in the bioethanol industry. This plant material containing a high proportion of polymers such as cellulose and hemicellulose is conducive to the subsequent cellulase hydrolysis process, can provide more abundant fermentable monosaccharides, and then converted into ethanol; at the same time, the higher the proportion of cellulose in the total dry weight, the more conducive to reducing costs. Corn kernel fiber is mainly composed of hemicellulose (about 40%), and its complex and dense sugar components and structure lead to its strong resistance to degradation. Therefore, through systematic genetic improvement, the degree of corn fiberization can be improved and the content of cellulose and hemicellulose can be increased, significantly improving ethanol yield (Slegers et al., 2017); in addition, obtaining cellulosic materials from the discarded part of the crop after harvest does not occupy limited food resources, which to a certain extent alleviates the global food security problem (Semenčenko et al., 2015). 2.3 Potential advantages of high-fiber maize in sustainable agriculture The application of high-fiber corn has many advantages for sustainable agriculture. First, it can make full use of the two products of corn plants, namely, grains and stalks (Chen et al., 2017; Skoufogianni et al., 2019), so that the entire crop can obtain the maximum economic benefits; second, fermenting high-fiber corn as a raw material to produce ethanol can effectively reduce the greenhouse effect by developing new biomass ethanol fuels that can replace petrochemical products such as gasoline and diesel (Gao and Zhao, 2015); third, introducing high-fiber corn into the rotation system is conducive to increasing soil organic matter content and improving soil aggregate structure (Agegnehu et al., 2016); fourth, the application of high-fiber corn populations is conducive to the development of agriculture based on the bio-based market, promoting a more sustainable and diversified agricultural economy (Maitra and Singh, 2021). 3 Breeding Strategies for High-Fiber Maize 3.1 Traditional breeding methods for improving maize fiber content Traditional breeding methods have long been used to improve various traits of maize, including fiber content, but the changes are not significant. Traditional breeding methods mainly rely on phenotypic selection, that is, plants that show ideal traits are selected and hybridized for multiple generations to obtain the target traits. The cumbersome identification and screening process of this method is time-consuming and inefficient, and may also
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