High carbon levels in the atmosphere could eventually be reduced thanks to Manchester University scientists discovering genes that control the growth of trees.
In a recent study, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council scien-tists at the University of Manchester successfully manipulated two genes in poplar trees and were able to make them grow larger and quicker than usual.
The genes, called PXY and CLE, when overexposed, a process which makes them more active than normal, made trees grow twice as fast as normal, while also being taller and wider with more leaves.
Professor Simon Turner from the faculty of life sciences said: “Although, this needs be tested in the field, this discovery paves the way for generating trees that grow more quickly.
“This will contribute to meeting the needs for increased plant biomass as a renewable source of biofuels, chemicals and materials while minimising further CO2 release into the atmosphere”
In addition to helping with biomass production, further research into this sector could provide ways to assist plants struggling with climate change.
By altering these genes further, plants could be made to grow strong even in the most adverse of environments.
Professor Turner said: “Understanding how the plants respond to environmental signals and to what extent we are able to manipulate them to override these signals is likely to be very important for continued improvements to crop performance.
“In future it may be possible that manipulating the expression of the PXY and CLE genes can over-ride environmental signals that normally alter plant growth.”
The findings still need to be tested in the field but could offer a solution to solve one of the most pressing challenges of the day, as the Earth becomes more affected by global warming.
The team plans to work with a forest products company to test their finds in the field.
The work builds on a 2010 study which mapped the genome of the Arabidopsis plant, to discover variations in its structure.
