Oral Presentation 1-02

Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada

Current Address:
2490 Goshen Road
Bellingham, Washington 98226-9556

Telephone/Fax: (360) 966-4027; E-mail: dinus@telcomplus.net

Opportunities for matching the physical and chemical properties of woody feedstocks, (e.g., short-rotation poplars) to energy process requirements via genetic modification are widely recognized. Exploitation, however, has been impeded by high measurement costs, limited genetic data, and uncertainties about which properties to modify. In recent years, methods that are inexpensive, rapid, and require only increment cores have been developed and adapted to measure quality traits such as lignin content and specific gravity.

These advances have facilitated acquisition of genetic data and are allowing breeding emphasis to shift from adaptability and productivity to reduction of costs at leverage points throughout the growing, harvesting, and processing chain. Genetic control of most wood properties has been found to be moderate to strong. Correlations among traits and genotype X–environment interactions, though sometimes unfavorable, should not limit improvement. Genetic transformation can be used to modify quality by adding genes from unrelated species and/or by altering the expression of existing genes that govern quality traits. Several laboratories have produced transgenic trees with altered lignin composition, but most changes of this type will not enhance processing efficiency. Nevertheless, at least one laboratory has produced transformants that have reduced lignins and increased cellulose contents but, otherwise, exhibit normal growth and development.

Because of the success that research on genetic modification has enjoyed, the longstanding debate on feasibility has become one of "when" rather than "if" designer varieties will become commercially available.