Transgenic technology provides a powerful tool for woody plant improvement. However, the full utilization of this technology has been stagnant due to gene flow and food safety concerns. This dissertation describes two transgene containment techniques that are particularly useful for woody plants. The first one is a flowerless plant technique that can be used to prevent pollen- and seed-mediated transgene flow. We developed an artificial promoter sequence, rPTAG2I, and demonstrated that this sequence is floral-predominant in tobacco with no detectable activity in the vegetative tissues of tobacco and poplar. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing the Diphtheria toxin A (DT-A) gene driven by the rPTAG2I promoter exhibited a flowerless phenotype with enhanced shoot and root biomass. Over two growing seasons in the field, rPTAG2I::DT-A transgenic poplar plants displayed similar vegetative growth compared to wild type. The second technique used a root-predominant gene promoter (SbUGT) to drive the expression of an auxin biosynthetic gene (iaaM) and a cytokinin degradation gene (CKX) to improve rootstocks. We demonstrated that expression of both the iaaM and CKX genes, predominantly in roots, inhibited lateral bud release and enhanced both root initiation and biomass of rootstock. Also, the grafting success rates were improved even though non-transgenic scions were used. We have further shown that the use of the iaaM+CKX transgenic rootstocks led to improved non-transgenic scion growth even when the lateral buds on rootstock remained intact. Because of these characteristics, our technique takes advantages of transgenic technology but also eliminates the concerns of gene flow from flowers and fruits. In summary, the development of both the flowerless and iaaM+CKX rootstock techniques may provide useful tools to address gene flow and food safety concerns over transgenic woody plant species.

Gene Containment provides a comprehensive look at genetically modified organisms and the strategies and implementation of key methods to gene containment. The book is divided into 5 parts: An Introduction that discusses the need for biotechnology and GMOs, Section 1 looks at the need for gene containment, Part II discusses varying strategies for gene containment, section III explores the assessment of gene containment approaches, and section IV covers the steps involved in implementing gene containment. Gene Containment will provide a thorough and up to date look at gene containment research and the needs for implementing new strategies in this arena.

This two-volume book gives a broad coverage of various aspects of plant molecular biology relevant to the improvement of woody plants. The authors provide background information on genetic engineering and molecular marker techniques, and specific examples of species in which sufficient progress has been made.

Transgenic Plant Technology for Remediation of Toxic Metals and Metalloids covers all the technical aspects of gene transfer, from molecular methods, to field performance using a wide range of plants and diverse abiotic stress factors. It describes methodologies that are well established as a key resource for researchers, as well as a tool for training technicians and students. This book is an essential reference for those in the plant sciences, forestry, agriculture, microbiology, environmental biology and plant biotechnology, and those using transgenic plant models in such areas as molecular and cell biology, developmental biology, stress physiology and phytoremediation. Provides in-depth coverage of transgenic plant technology for environmental problems Discusses background and an introduction to techniques and salient protocols using specific plants systems Includes emerging strategies for application of transgenic plans in remediation

Transgenic crops are the basis of modern agricultural biotechnology. Traits impossible to introduce by conventional breeding techniques are tailored in crops using genetic manipulation and transformation approaches. Using the technology, agronomic and medicinal traits have been developed in plants. The pace of -omics with robust methods for gene discovery and genome sequencing and more recently the use of CRISPR/Cas and gRNA/Cas technologies have widened this field to improve the genetic makeup of crops. Identification of transformation events and biosafety assessment of the introduced traits are vital for stewardship and acceptability of transgenic crops.

Forest trees cover 30% of the earth's land surface, providing renewable fuel, wood, timber, shelter, fruits, leaves, bark, roots, and are source of medicinal products in addition to benefits such as carbon sequestration, water shed protection, and habitat for 1/3 of terrestrial species. However, the genetic analysis and breeding of trees has lagged behind that of crop plants. Therefore, systematic conservation, sustainable improvement and pragmatic utilization of trees are global priorities. This book provides comprehensive and up to date information about tree characterization, biological understanding, and improvement through biotechnological and molecular tools.