Early flowering in trees

Lead Institute FG Institute of Forest Genetics

Shortening the vegetative phase in trees by cultural and genetic methods

Biosafety studies with transgenic forest plants suffer from the long generation times of trees. To analyze gene technologically induced sterility within a given time frame of two to three years it is desirable to shorten the vegetative phase of the poplars considerably.

Background and Objective

The induction of early flower formation is very important with transgenic poplars within the scope of the investigations for sterility and for spruce for breeding purposes. A gene technologically approach is tested beside physiological attempts for the production of early-flowering poplar lines with the help of the genes which have caused an early flowering already in other plant species. Up to now all attempts have missed to stimulate flowering in one-year-old to three-year-old poplars by means of physiological attempts (application of growth retardants, demethylation agents and hormones). In contrary, transgenic poplar carrying “early-flowering” genes formed flowers either already some months after the gene technologically change or as three-year-old plants. Different genetic constructs were used for the transformation by poplars.

Approach

The gene BpMADS4 from birch was tested in poplars for the first time. In transgenic birches this gene has caused a precocious flower formation. First BpMADS4 transgenic poplars were generated in the beginning of 2002, transferred into greenhouse and molecularly examined. Some transgenic plants are cultivated since middle of 2002 in climate chambers. However, a flower-inducing effect of this construct has not been found in transgenic poplars up to now. Nevertheless, during the culture in greenhouse it was observed that the BpMADS4 transgenic poplar lines didn’t loose their leaves completely. The expression of the two Arabidopsis thaliana genes Leafy and FT has promoted flowering in different plant species. In poplar, early flowering has been observed for both genes in in-vitro culture as well as in soil in the first year. The early-flowering Leafy- and FT-transgenic poplar lines are fertile under greenhouse conditions. Nevertheless, Leafy-and FT-induced reduction of the juvenility as well as the maintenance of fertility are strongly influenced by the genotype of the used poplar line. Additional flower-inducing genes are also being tested.

Preliminary Results

Thünen-Contact

PD Dr. Matthias Fladung

Telephone

+49 4102 696 107

matthias.fladung@thuenen.de

FG Institute of Forest Genetics

Involved Thünen-Partners

Hönicka, Hans FG Institute of Forest Genetics

Duration

Permanent task 5.2007

More Information

Project status: ongoing

Publications

0
Hönicka H, Briones V, Hanelt D, Bein S, Deecke K, Cañas LA, Fladung M (2022) Faster biosafety evaluation of genetic containment in forest tree species using early flowering systems. In: The 20th IUFRO Tree Biotech & The 2nd Forest Tree Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Conference. Harbin: IUFRO, p 154
1
Hönicka H, Briones V, Bein S, Hoffmann P, Heier K, Fladung M (2022) Induction of early flowering in European birch (Betula pendula) through genetic transformation with the FLOWERING LOCUS T gene. In: Plant Sciences for a Sustainable Future : Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences, 2022 Bonn, 28 August - 01 September ; Programme. Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, p 160
2
Fladung M, Hönicka H (2018) Development of an early flowering system for poplar breeding and biosafety research. In: III International PP1530 Symposium: Genetic Variation of Flowering Time Genes and Applications for Crop Improvement : March 14-16, 2018. pp 22-23
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Fladung M, Hönicka H, Kersten B (2016) Baumblüte im ersten Jahr. Forschungsfelder
https://literatur.thuenen.de/digbib_extern/dn057472.pdf
4
Fladung M, Hönicka H (2016) Forstpflanzenzüchtung auf der Überholspur. AFZ Der Wald 71(14):21-23
https://literatur.thuenen.de/digbib_extern/dn056970.pdf
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Häggman H, Sutela S, Fladung M (2016) Genetic engineering contribution to forest tree breeding efforts. Forestry Sci 82:11-29, DOI:10.1007/978-74-017-7531-1_2
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Hönicka H, Lehnhardt D, Nunna S, Reinhardt R, Jeltsch A, Briones V, Fladung M (2016) Level of tissue differentiation influences the activation of a heat-inducible flower-specific system for genetic containment in poplar (Populus tremulaL.). Plant Cell Rep 35(2):369-384, DOI:10.1007/s00299-015-1890-x
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Hönicka H, Lehnhardt D, Briones V, Nilsson O, Fladung M (2016) Low temperatures are required to induce the development of fertile flowers in transgenic male and female early flowering poplar (Populus tremulaL.). Tree Physiol 36(5):667-677, DOI:10.1093/treephys/tpw015
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Bentley AR, Jensen EF, Mackey IJ, Hönicka H, Fladung M, Hori K, Yano M, Mullet JE, Armstead IP, Hayes C, Thorogood D, Lovatt A, Morris R, Pullen N, Mutasa-Göttgens ES, Cockram J (2013) Chapter 1 : Flowering time. In: Kole C (ed) Genomics and breeding for climate-resilient crops : Vol. 2 target traits . Berlin: Springer, pp 1-66
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Hönicka H, Lehnhardt D, Polak O, Fladung M (2012) Early flowering and genetic containment studies in transgenic poplar. iForest 5:138-146, DOI:10.3832/ifor0621-005
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Fladung M, Hanke MV (2012) Induktion einer frühzeitigen Blüte bei Pappel und bei Apfel zur Beschleunigung der Züchtung auf Resistenz gegenüber Krankheiten (SpeedBreed). In: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (ed) Innovationstage 2012 : Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojekte ; Programm zur Innovationsförderung des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz. Bonn: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, pp 36-40
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Hönicka H, Lautner S, Klingberg A, Koch G, El-Sherif F, Lehnhardt D, Zhang B, Burgert I, Odermatt J, Melzer S, Fromm J, Fladung M (2012) Influence of over-expression of the FLOWERING PROMOTING FACTOR 1 gene (FPF1) from Arabidopsis on wood formation in hybrid poplar (Populus tremula L. x P. tremuloides Michx.). Planta 235(1):359-373