Towards genetically-improved conifers

Pines are long-lived; between 100 and 1,000 years. And they are a tree species, of high commercial importance. Indeed, they are valued for their timber and wood pulp. Now, a European Research project, called ProCoGen, is planning to unravel the pine genome by 2016. The trouble is that pines have a complex genome—seven times larger than the human genome—with an estimated size of 3.2 billion base pairs. The project's goal is to identify genes and gene networks controlling important traits of ecological and economic relevance. These include traits able to control tree productivity, growth, drought and cold stress, in trees subjected to climate change.

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