The fast-growing poplar is a popular model organism for genetic modifications on trees. Two current biosafety projects are working on methods to prevent the outcrossing of transgenic traits into natural tree populations.
Wine is more than just a drink – it is also a way of life and a drink culture. It therefore caused quite a stir when genetically modified grapevines designed to be resistant to fungal infection were released in Germany for the first time at the end of the nineties. In the meantime the deliberate release trial is finished, but research goes on.
An important topic of biosafety research into woody plants is the dispersal potential of long-lived plants. A current project is working on a method of influencing the characteristics of conventional apple trees by grafting them onto genetically modified rootstock. If it works, the apples and pollen will remain ‘GM-free’, thereby preventing outcrossing.
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