Speed Breeding Transgenic American Chestnut Trees Toward Restoration.

ABSTRACT: The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was a dominant, foundational forest canopy tree in eastern North America until an imported chestnut blight (caused by Cryphonectria parasitica) rendered it functionally extinct across its native range. Biotechnological approaches have the potential to help restore the species, but field-based breeding advances are hampered by long generation times, ≤ 50% transgene inheritance, and regulatory restrictions on outdoor breeding of transgenic trees. Self-incompatibility and flowering phenology further limit generational advances and field testing of chestnuts. Our work here demonstrates that long generational times and field constraints can be circumvented by producing both male and receptive female flowers in controlled indoor environments

SUBMITTER: Klak T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12723076 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature