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Reduced wood stiffness and strength, and altered stem form, in young antisense 4CL transgenic poplars with reduced lignin contents
Author(s) -
Voelker Steven L.,
Lachenbruch Barbara,
Meinzer Frederick C.,
Strauss Steven H.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03572.x
Subject(s) - lignin , biomass (ecology) , botany , genetically modified crops , softwood , horticulture , xylem , materials science , pulp and paper industry , biology , chemistry , agronomy , transgene , biochemistry , gene , engineering
Summary• Reduced lignin content in perennial crops has been sought as a means to improve biomass processability for paper and biofuels production, but it is unclear how this could affect wood properties and tree form. • Here, we studied a nontransgenic control and 14 transgenic events containing an antisense 4‐coumarate:coenzyme A ligase ( 4CL ) to discern the consequences of lignin reduction in poplar ( Populus sp.). During the second year of growth, trees were grown either free‐standing in a field trial or affixed to stakes in a glasshouse. • Reductions in lignin of up to 40% gave comparable losses in wood strength and stiffness. This occurred despite the fact that low‐lignin trees had a similar wood density and up to three‐fold more tension wood. In free‐standing and staked trees, the control line had twice the height for a given diameter as did low‐lignin trees. Staked trees had twice the height for a given diameter as free‐standing trees in the field, but did not differ in wood stiffness. • Variation in tree morphogenesis appears to be governed by lignin × environment interactions mediated by stresses exerted on developing cells. Therefore our results underline the importance of field studies for assessing the performance of transgenic trees with modified wood properties.