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Tree improvement is necessary to meet the growing demand for the renewable resource wood. Many novel possibilities to obtain improved species are offered by biotechnology, and the time is ripe for a critical evaluation of the chances and challenges of tree transgenesis.
Sixteen chapters by experts in the field provide concise information on the present state of the following topics: transgenic trees in the world; environmental aspects of lignin-modified trees; modification of cellulose in wood; heavy metal resistance and phytoremediation with transgenic trees; transgenic approaches to engineer nitrogen metabolism; disease resistance; drought tolerance. In addition, biosafety and risk assessment are treated in detail, and future experimental tasks are discussed. The book provides a sound basis for decision-making processes in politics.
Field Trials with Transgenic Trees ? State of the Art and Developments.- Transgenic Forest Trees in China.- Modification of Perennial Fruit Trees.- Genetic Transformation of Some Tropical Trees and Tree-like Plants.- Environmental Aspects of Lignin Modified Trees.- Modification of Cellulose in Wood.- Heavy Metal Resistance and Phytoremediation with Transgenic Trees.- Transgenic Approaches to Engineer Nitrogen Metabolism.- Virus Resistance Breeding in Fruit Trees.- The Use of Genetic Transformation Procedures to Study the Defence and Disease Resistance Traits of Trees.- Fungal and Bacterial Resistance in Transgenic Trees.- Genetically Modified Trees Expressing Genes for Insect Pest Resistance.- Towards Genetic Engineering for Drought Tolerance in Trees.- Genome Instability in Woody Plants Derived from Genetic Engineering.- Investigation of Horizontal Gene Transfer from Transgenic Aspen to Ectomycorrhizal Fungi.- Transgenic Temperate Fruit Tree Rootstocks.
