Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, have received a $9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study an unlikely candidate for future fuels: cactus pear. The desert-adapted plant already grows across much of the Mountain West, including Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Scientists say it could help farmers produce renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel while using significantly less water than traditional biofuel crops like corn and soybeans. Over the next five years, researchers will test hundreds of cactus pear varieties at sites from Arizona to Florida. 

Other agricultural water use news:

• The Packer: Lighting up the ranch for the next generation of agriculture​​