As printed in the Tulsa World, October 7, 2008.

Two state university researchers are part of an international group of scientists urging ethanol producers to diversify the feedstocks used in making the alternative fuel.

The University of Oklahoma's Linda Wallace and Oklahoma State University's Michael Palmer, both botany professors, contributed to a 23-author article in Friday's edition of Science magazine.

The group stresses the need to consider ethanol sources other than corn and switchgrass.

"We know ethanol produced from corn has both environmental and economical challenges," Wallace said. "We are studying the downside of the more popular switchgrass species even though funding for its use is already in place."

Both OU and OSU joined the Noble Foundation and Oklahoma Bioenergy Center to develop a 1,000-acre switchgrass plot in the Panhandle. Planting began earlier this year for the potential feedstock for cellulosic ethanol.

Some scientists contend that switchgrass may not be the best species for ethanol production but that it is much better than corn because it does not impact food supply.

Palmer, meanwhile, proposes hay meadows as an option for cellulosic ethanol feedstock.

This article appeared in the Tulsa World, www.tulsaworld.com, on October 7, 2008.