Australian Eucalyptus as Model for Flowering Studies

The Western Australian eucalyptus species, Eucalyptus occidentalis, is a suitable model species for molecular and other flowering studies in eucalypts, says Simon Southerton at Australia’s CSIRO.

Southerton wrote in his paper published by the journal Functional Plant Biology, that E. occidentalis, like other eucalypts, can be easily transformed using the Agrobacterium method. The researcher also observed that floral bud initiation in E. occidentalis can occur as early as 13 weeks after germination. Normally, eucalypts do not flower until 2 to 6 years of age. He explained that early flowering in the species was induced by exposure of the seedlings to long-day conditions.

Research on flowering has intensified in eucalypts to enable the suppression or induction of flowering in transgenic plants. Suppression of flowering in sterile transgenic trees will address concerns of gene flow from plantations to native forests. On the other hand, induction of early flowering is desired for species with long flowering time.Transgenic eucalypts that are under development have higher growth rates, better wood quality, and insect and disease resistance.

For more information, subscribers can read the article at http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=FP07118.