Tree breeding in the molecular biology age

The genetic improvement of trees is a slow process in comparison to that of annual crops. Tree breeding though is important, given the ever increasing demand for wood and wood products. It is the aim of this paper to show that the classical genetic improvement of trees by breeding and selection can be assisted and accelerated by the application of molecular biology tools and that have been developed over the last decade. First, it is now possible to develop a set of diagnostic markers that predict the characteristics of new hybrids soon after they have germinated, thus long before the traits are displayed. Second, genetic engineering allows the modification or addition of a given train that would be difficult or impossible to obtain by conventional breeding. Case studies in both fields, with respect to disease resistance and wood quality, are presented.

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