New method to make trees grow bigger and quicker

London

Scientists have discovered a way to make trees grow bigger and faster, which could increase supplies of renewable resources and help trees cope with the effects of climate change.

Researchers at The University of Manchester successfully manipulated two genes in poplar trees in order to make them grow larger and more quickly than usual.

"The rate at which trees grow is determined by the rate of cell division in the stem. We have identified two genes that are able to drive cell division in the stem and so override the normal growth pattern," said Professor Simon Turner from the Faculty of Life Sciences who led the research.

"Although, this needs be tested in the field, this discovery paves the way for generating trees that grow more quickly and so will contribute to meeting the needs for increased plant biomass as a renewable source of biofuels, chemicals and materials while minimising further CO2 release into the atmosphere," Turner said.

The genes, called PXY and CLE, control the growth of a tree trunk. When overexpressed, making them more active than in their normal state, the trees grew twice as fast as normal and were taller, wider and had more leaves.

As well as the potential to increase biomass supplies for the growing biofuel and industrial biotechnology sectors, the discovery could help plants deal with the environmental consequences of climate change.

"Our work offers the possibility we may be able to maintain a fast growth rate even in the face of adverse and changeable environmental conditions that all plants are likely to be faced with," said Turner.

"Most plants, including crops, respond to adverse environmental conditions with lower growth rates that result in correspondingly lower yields.

"Understanding how the plants respond to environmental signals and to what extent we are able to manipulate them to override these signals is likely to be very important for continued improvements to crop performance.

"In future it may be possible that manipulating the expression of the PXY and CLE genes can override environmental signals that normally alter plant growth.

"This is something that needs to be tested in the field, but offers a potential way forward for what is one of the most pressing challenges of the day," Turner said.

The study is published in the journal Current Biology. — PTI