Transgenic populus trees for forest products, Bioenergy, and Functional Genomics

Xia Ye, Victor Busov, Nan Zhao, Rick Meilan, Lisa M. McDonnell, Heather D. Coleman, Shawn D. Mansfield, Feng Chen, Yi Li, Zong Ming Cheng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Species within the genus Populus are among the fastest growing trees in regions with a temperate climate. Not only are they an integral component of ecosystems, but they are also grown commercially for fuel, fiber, and forest products in rural areas of the world. In the late 1970s, they were designated as a bioenergy crop by the U.S. Department of Energy, as a result of research following the oil embargo. Populus species also serve as model trees for plant molecular biology research. In this article, we will review recent progress in the genetic improvement of Populus, considering both classical breeding and genetic engineering for bioenergy, as well as in using transgenics to elucidate gene functionality. A perspective for future improvement of Populus via functional genomics will also be presented.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)415-434
Number of pages20
JournalCritical Reviews in Plant Sciences
Volume30
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bioenergy
  • Biotechnology
  • Forestry
  • Functional genomics
  • Populus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Plant Science

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