Grant: Strategic Projects - Group
Simon Fraser University
$200,000.00
Developing tools to select for robust POPULUS genotypes capable of adapting to environmental change
FY 2006-07
Summary
Poplars are of enormous ecological and economic significance in Canada and favoured for plantation forestry due to their capacity for rapid juvenile growth. Poplars are also a prominent component of programs to optimize carbon sequestration and so aid Canada in meeting its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, these applications depend on access to plantation sites with sufficient water to support the rapid growth of poplars and this is problematic in many parts of Canada, particularly on the prairies where annual rainfall and snow cover have diminished over the past 10 years resulting in frequent summer droughts. The research described in this proposal will provide robust molecular and biochemical markers to be used as diagnostic tools by the forestry sector to support their efforts to select environmentally-optimized poplar genotypes for plantation forestry/afforestaton. To achieve this goal we will delineate the genetic and epigenetic response of poplar to drought stress via transcriptome analyses, which in turn will guide targeted metabolite analyses so as to assess the impact of drought-dependent changes in gene expression on secondary metabolism and wood chemistry and structure. These analyses will define precise molecular and biochemical targets for selection so as to obtain trees with improved biomass accumulation and drought tolerance. We will screen for drought resistance in poplar genotypes provided from the testing and screening programs of Al-Pac Forest Industries and AAFC and use this material to test our suite of molecular and biochemical markers. In the third year we propose to test our most robust markers on field-grown poplar trees at locations belonging to Al-Pac and AAFC. This is a crucial step needed to develop these markers into robust diagnostic tools that are informative for the breeding and selection programs of Al-Pac and AAFC. Collectively this research will enrich our knowledge of the capacity and flexibility of the response of forest trees to their environment and it will provide molecular markers to assist the forestry sector identify poplar genotypes that are adapted to an uncertain Canadian climate.
Program
Strategic Projects - Group
Recipient
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
337209-2006
Name nom
Plant, Aine
Department département
Biological Sciences
Organization id
5
Institution établissement
Simon Fraser University
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2006
Competition year année de concours
2006
Award amount
2e+05
Program id
STPGP
Program name en
Strategic Projects - Group
Program name fr
Projets stratégiques - De groupe
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
1045
Committee name en
Strategic Projects Selection Panel - Environment
Committee name fr
Comité de sélection des projets stratégiques - Environnement
Area of application code
400
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Environment
Area of application fr
Environnement
Research subject code
4900
Research subject group en
Plant and treebiology
Research subject group fr
Biologie végétale et des arbres
Research subject en
Plant and treebiology
Research subject fr
Biologie végétale et des arbres
Partie
1
Nb partie
3
Application title
Developing tools to select for robust POPULUS genotypes capable of adapting to environmental change
Keyword
NA
Application summary
Poplars are of enormous ecological and economic significance in Canada and favoured for plantation forestry due to their capacity for rapid juvenile growth. Poplars are also a prominent component of programs to optimize carbon sequestration and so aid Canada in meeting its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, these applications depend on access to plantation sites with sufficient water to support the rapid growth of poplars and this is problematic in many parts of Canada, particularly on the prairies where annual rainfall and snow cover have diminished over the past 10 years resulting in frequent summer droughts. The research described in this proposal will provide robust molecular and biochemical markers to be used as diagnostic tools by the forestry sector to support their efforts to select environmentally-optimized poplar genotypes for plantation forestry/afforestaton. To achieve this goal we will delineate the genetic and epigenetic response of poplar to drought stress via transcriptome analyses, which in turn will guide targeted metabolite analyses so as to assess the impact of drought-dependent changes in gene expression on secondary metabolism and wood chemistry and structure. These analyses will define precise molecular and biochemical targets for selection so as to obtain trees with improved biomass accumulation and drought tolerance. We will screen for drought resistance in poplar genotypes provided from the testing and screening programs of Al-Pac Forest Industries and AAFC and use this material to test our suite of molecular and biochemical markers. In the third year we propose to test our most robust markers on field-grown poplar trees at locations belonging to Al-Pac and AAFC. This is a crucial step needed to develop these markers into robust diagnostic tools that are informative for the breeding and selection programs of Al-Pac and AAFC. Collectively this research will enrich our knowledge of the capacity and flexibility of the response of forest trees to their environment and it will provide molecular markers to assist the forestry sector identify poplar genotypes that are adapted to an uncertain Canadian climate.
