1Biotechnology Initiative, Forestry and Forest Products Division, Center for Applied Research and Technology Development (CARTD), Natural Resources Research Institute, USA.
2Department of Biology, College of Science and Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA.
*Corresponding author: Arun Goyal
Genetic engineering has provided tools to improve Populus through introducing genes from heterologous sources and also through down-regulating metabolic pathways. This has resulted in the improvement of several useful traits within a short period of time. Considerable success has been achieved in improving traits such as insect resistance, herbicide tolerance, accelerated flowering, introducing male sterility, phytoremediation of toxic compounds, and modifying wood quality by manipulating the lignin biosynthesis pathway. Producing high-value recombinant proteins and biomolecules in transgenic poplar is an emerging field of high priority.
Genetic engineering, Populus, transformation
