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Review
. 2021 Mar 20;14(1):75.
doi: 10.1186/s13068-021-01892-3.

Importance of suberin biopolymer in plant function, contributions to soil organic carbon and in the production of bio-derived energy and materials

Anne E Harman-Ware  1 , Samuel Sparks  2 , Bennett Addison  3 , Udaya C Kalluri  4
Affiliations
Review

Importance of suberin biopolymer in plant function, contributions to soil organic carbon and in the production of bio-derived energy and materials

Anne E Harman-Ware et al. Biotechnol Biofuels. .

Abstract

Suberin is a hydrophobic biopolymer of significance in the production of biomass-derived materials and in biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we describe suberin structure and biosynthesis, and its importance in biological (i.e., plant bark and roots), ecological (soil organic carbon) and economic (biomass conversion to bioproducts) contexts. Furthermore, we highlight the genomics and analytical approaches currently available and explore opportunities for future technologies to study suberin in quantitative and/or high-throughput platforms in bioenergy crops. A greater understanding of suberin structure and production in lignocellulosic biomass can be leveraged to improve representation in life cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis models and enable performance improvements in plant biosystems as well as informed crop system management to achieve economic and environmental co-benefits.

Keywords: Bioenergy; Biomass; Biomaterial; Biopolymer; Carbon; Cork; Genomics; Root; Soil; Suberin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Graphical representation of the significance of suberin in plant performance (plant function context), belowground C inputs (ecosystem and biogeochemistry context) and valorization of C in biomass for bio-derived energy and materials (economic context). Greater throughput and accuracy in suberin analytical technologies and a greater understanding of molecular controls of suberin biosynthesis pathways are needed to enable informed and sustainable crop improvement strategies and realize a circular carbon-neutral bioeconomy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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