Even though most of the biomass of the planet is in forests, we live in a world where wood as a raw material and its products are increasingly scarce. This is particularly so in important areas such as the European Community, which is far from self-sufficient in terms of wood. In recent years the need to intensify forest production and, in some cases, to uti lize abandoned agricultural land for forestry has focussed world-wide attention on the economic importance of fast-growing tree plantations. These are usually managed as short "rotations" (growing cycles) of less than 15 years, often for the production of industrial raw materials or biomass for energy. Under the designation of fast-growing tree plantations, or short rotation silviculture, one may find ecosystems managed for different economic objectives, with different intensities of technical intervention and different levels of productivity. They may include any of a wide range of species grown under various environmental conditions. A common factor, however, is the greater possibility that exists, relative to conventional forestry, for manipulation of both the environment and the genetics of the trees.

As the world’s population is projected to reach 10 billion or more by 2100, devastating fossil fuel shortages loom in the future unless more renewable alternatives to energy are developed. Bioenergy, in the form of cellulosic biomass, starch, sugar, and oils from crop plants, has emerged as one of the cheaper, cleaner, and environmentally sustainable alternatives to traditional forms of energy. Handbook of Bioenergy Crop Plants brings together the work of a panel of global experts who survey the possibilities and challenges involved in biofuel production in the twenty-first century. Section One explores the genetic improvement of bioenergy crops, ecological issues and biodiversity, feedstock logistics and enzymatic cell wall degradation to produce biofuels, and process technologies of liquid transportation fuels production. It also reviews international standards for fuel quality, unique issues of biofuel-powered engines, life-cycle environmental impacts of biofuels compared with fossil fuels, and social concerns. Section Two examines commercialized bioenergy crops, including cassava, Jatropha, forest trees, maize, oil palm, oilseed Brassicas, sorghum, soybean, sugarcane, and switchgrass. Section Three profiles emerging crops such as Brachypodium, diesel trees, minor oilseeds, lower plants, Paulownia, shrub willow, sugarbeet, sunflower, and sweet potato. It also discusses unconventional biomass resources such as vegetable oils, organic waste, and municipal sludge. Highlighting the special requirements, major achievements, and unresolved concerns in bioenergy production from crop plants, the book is destined to lead to future discoveries related to the use of plants for bioenergy production. It will assist in developing innovative ways of ameliorating energy problems on the horizon.