Although
genetically modified crops such as cereals and cotton continue to
attract much scientific and political attention, there has been little
debate about the large worldwide research effort to develop GM trees.
Trees with foreign genes added have grown in 700 field trials in at
least 21 countries over the past 20 years, says Matthias Fladung of the
Thünen Institute of Forest Genetics in Germany. They include dozens of
deciduous and coniferous species, with most work done on eucalyptus and
poplar.
GM
poplar, engineered to make a natural insecticide (Bt toxin) in its
leaves, is already grown on a commercial scale in China. “There is no
independent assessment of transgenic poplar in China,” says Rick Meilan,
who works on poplar at Purdue University in the US. “The area planted
may cover thousands of hectares.”
Meanwhile, two biotechnology companies, FuturaGene and ArborGen, are
leading the effort to commercialise GM eucalyptus in Brazil and the US.
Some of the reasons for forestry researchers wanting to grow GM trees
are similar to those motivating agricultural scientists, such as pest
resistance and survival in adverse conditions such as drought or cold.
Read more:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/7f7e2160-d13f-11e1-8957-00144feabdc0.html#axzz21LSlwnAN
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