Localized gene expression changes during adventitious root formation in black walnut (Juglans nigra L.).

Cutting propagation plays a large role in the forestry and horticulture industries where superior genotypes need to be clonally multiplied. Integral to this process is the ability of cuttings to form adventitious roots. Recalcitrance to adventitious root development is a serious hurdle for many woody plant propagation systems including black walnut (Juglans nigra L.

Candidate gene association mapping for winter survival and spring regrowth in perennial ryegrass.

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is a widely cultivated cool-season grass species because of its high quality for forage and turf. Susceptibility to freezing damage limits its further use in temperate zones.

Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation and plant regeneration of the hardwood tree species Fraxinus profunda.

This transformation and regeneration protocol provides an integral framework for the genetic improvement of Fraxinus profunda (pumpkin ash) for future development of plants resistant to the emerald ash borer. Using mature hypocotyls as the initial explants, an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation system was successfully developed for pumpkin ash (Fraxinus profunda). This transformation protocol is an invaluable tool to combat the highly aggressive, non-native emerald ash borer (EAB), which has the potential to eliminate native Fraxinus spp.

Isolation and characterization of a TERMINAL FLOWER 1 homolog from Prunus serotina Ehrh.

Flowering control is one of the several strategies for gene containment of transgenic plants. TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) is known to be involved in the transcriptional repression of genes for inflorescence development. Two TFL1 transcripts with different 3' UTR were cloned from black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.

Association of candidate genes with drought tolerance traits in diverse perennial ryegrass accessions.

Drought is a major environmental stress limiting growth of perennial grasses in temperate regions. Plant drought tolerance is a complex trait that is controlled by multiple genes. Candidate gene association mapping provides a powerful tool for dissection of complex traits.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Fraxinus pennsylvanica hypocotyls and plant regeneration.

A genetic transformation protocol for green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) hypocotyl explants was developed. Green ash hypocotyls were transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring binary vector pq35GR containing the neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII) and beta-glucuronidase (GUS) fusion gene, and an enhanced green fluorescent protein gene. Pre-cultured hypocotyl explants were transformed in the presence of 100 microM acetosyringone using 90 s sonication plus 10 min vacuum-infiltration.

Salicylate and catechol levels are maintained in nahG transgenic poplar.

Metabolic profiling was used to investigate the molecular phenotypes of a transgenic Populus tremula x P. alba hybrid expressing the nahG transgene, a bacterial gene encoding salicylate hydroxylase that converts salicylic acid to catechol. Despite the efficacy of this transgenic approach to reduce salicylic acid levels in other model systems and thereby elucidate roles for salicylic acid in plant signaling, transgenic poplars had similar foliar levels of salicylic acid and catechol to that of non-transformed controls and exhibited no morphological phenotypes.

Improving disease resistance of butternut (Juglans cinerea), a threatened fine hardwood: a case for single-tree selection through genetic improvement and deployment.

Approaches for the development of disease-resistant butternut (Juglans cinerea L.) are reviewed. Butternut is a threatened fine hardwood throughout its natural range in eastern North America because of the invasion of the exotic fungus, Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum Nair, Kostichka and Kuntz, which causes butternut canker.