A new discovery in pine tree breeding method is expected to assist forests to get adjusted to climate changes and boost bio-energy usage. The new technique appeared in New Phytologist, a scientific journal, which points out that new tree varieties can be created in half the time than the duration taken by the currently followed methods.
Presently, the introduction of a new pine tree variant takes over 13 years and the new method is expected to reduce the time to six years. The new method is likely to enhance the competitiveness and the security of the U.S. forestry industry while allowing substantial savings to it.
According to Matias Kirst, lead author of the study and an associate professor at the University of Florida, in the school of forest resources and conservation, the willingness to compete and grow has become an important constituent especially in forestry in the wake of the US facing considerable level of pressure from other countries with lesser forestry regulations and higher level of photosynthetic activity to assist the growth of more trees. She stressed for developing faster breeding methods.
The method was discovered when the scientists skipped unveiling each and every bit of genetic system responsible for the traits in pine trees. As an alternative, they utilized the components of the genetic code they are already aware of for the purpose of building up a model to predict the traits. The new model enables the researchers to foresee the traits of a tree with higher level of precision instead of waiting for around eight years to grow the trees under field test conditions. Also the new method enables the researchers in developing trees that grow well in the changing climatic conditions such as increased level of drought and increased level of temperature.
According to Gary Peter, another study author and a professor in school of forest resources and conservation at the University of Florida, the developed method will assist in the quicker growth of trees, which can be utilized for generating bio-energy, a renewable energy. He added that faster modification of tree traits will assist in creating specific trees for use in the manufacture of paper and pulp or just use them as solid wood and can be tailor made for energy generation. The new method will also assist in the quicker development of trees with pest and disease resistance and better quality of wood.
Source: http://www.ufl.edu/