THE PROMISE OF DEDICATED ENERGY CROPS

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THE PROMISE OF DEDICATED ENERGY CROPS

• Mar. 27, 2008

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Technology-Enabling Mandates
Minimum 44 of alt. fuelsfrom cellulose by 2022

• Cap on corn starch
• Advanced Renewable
• allows other sugar/starch crops
• Cellulosic ANY biofuel from lignocellulose

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Higher Yield Density Means Fewer Acres
36B Gallons Alternative Fuels
5B Advanced
15B Starch Ethanol
16B Cellulosic Biofuels
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Projections of Per-Acre Fuel Yields
Corn 300 bu/acre
900 gal (300 bu _at_ 3 gal/bu) 400 gal (4 tons
stover _at_ 100 gal/ton)
1300 gal
2000 gal
Assumes a total of 8 tons with 50 removal
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Plant Biotechnology is Game Changing
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The Perfect Energy Crop
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Improving Yield Reduces Harvest, Transport and
Production Costs per Ton
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History of U.S. Corn Yields
Biotechnology
Its Faster the Second TimeApplying 75 years
of science to energy crops
Hybrids
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Improved Biomass Conversion Efficiency Reduces
Capital Operating Costs
Impact of Different SWG Cultivars on Conversion

• Crop Variations
• Composition, processing performance and energy
  content
• Impact
• Increased productivity
• Reduced enzyme cost
• Reduced capital costs

Increasing enzyme concentration does not overcome
differences in biomass composition in this assay
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Leading Technology Platform for Improvement of
Conversion Traits

• Hundreds of cell wall biosynthesis genes in hand
• Actively screening plant lines for improved
  composition, processing performance and energy
  content
• NIR methods developed for rapid analysis of
  composition and conversion characteristics
• Working with processing companies to develop
  tailored solutions for specific biomass
  conversion processes

Increased lignin deposition
Wild type
Decreased lignin deposition
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High-Throughput Trait Pipeline
Hundreds of candidate trait genes identified ?
Biomass yield ? Plant architecture ? Tolerance
to environmental stresses ? Nitrogen use
efficiency
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Ceres Pipeline Traits
Heat tolerance
Drought tolerance
Increased yield
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Breeding and Biotechnology Provide Parallel Paths
to Commercial Products
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Ceres Product Lines
High Biomass Sweet Sorghums
Miscanthus Energycane
Short-Rotation Woody Crops
Switchgrass

• Yield
• Adaptation
• Production System
• Low Water Usage

• Wide Adaptation
• Low Input
• Perennial
• Seed Establishment

• Yield
• Low Input
• Perennial

• Yield
• Winter-Standing
• Production Systems

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Collaborations Switchgrass

• Exclusive, long-term collaboration in energy
  crops
• Premier organization for breeding of perennial
  grasses.
• Expertise in agronomy and agricultural economics
• Located in Ardmore, Oklahoma

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Improved Switchgrass
Higher biomass yields and better stand
establishment
Improved Cultivar
Current
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Collaborations High-Biomass Sorghum

• Exclusive, multi-year joint RD and
  commercialization agreement
• Together, forms one of the worlds largest
  sorghum breeding programs
• Doubling the rate of improvement to biomass
  yields
• Located in College Station, Texas

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Improved High-Biomass Sorghum
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Dedicated Energy Crops in 20 States
Field trials identify preferred crops, cultivars
and agronomic practices
Ceres Field Trials Seed Production
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Perennial Question WHEN TO SEED?

• Steel in the Ground and Seed in the Ground start
  about the same time.
• Multi-year crops grow into larger plantsin 2nd
  3rd years
• Annuals play a role due to high yieldsin single
  year of growth

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Farm-Scale, Seed-to-Pump Venture

• Cellulosic pilot plant nearSt. Joseph, Missouri
• Ceres contracted for seed and agronomic support
• Compare conversion efficiency and economics to
  other feedstocks
• 30 million DOE grant

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Ceres is Rapidly Developing Commercial Energy
Crops
Sustainable advantage through biotech traits
Rapid improvement through advanced breeding
Bringing the first products to market

• Broad portfolio of proven traits
• Biomass
• Plant architecture
• Drought tolerance
• Nitrogen use efficiency
• Disease tolerance
• Etc.
• High-throughput transformation
• Composition profile

• Commercial trials to understand optimal
  varieties, management practices and economics
• Agronomic trials to improve establishment, yield,
  harvest and storage
• Variety trials to understand geographic range
• Seed production
• Development agreements with cellulosic
  biorefineries and technology providers

• Sequencing and marker identification to create
  proprietary marker maps
• Marker-assisted breeding using hundreds of
  proprietary gene-trait associations
• Hybrids
• Propagation techniques

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The Stone Age did not end for lack of stone, and
the Oil Age will end long before the world runs
out of oil.
Sheikh Zaki Yamani Former Saudi Arabia Oil
Minister
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THANK YOU