CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

Tau.Neutrino said:

CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

Who wants more fucking poplars? Not me, that’s for sure.

roughbarked said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

Who wants more fucking poplars? Not me, that’s for sure.

Poplars were chosen because of its long juvenile period which can take seven to 10 years before it begins to flower.

Flowering should be faster for other long duration juvenile trees I guess.

Tau.Neutrino said:

roughbarked said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

Who wants more fucking poplars? Not me, that’s for sure.

Poplars were chosen because of its long juvenile period which can take seven to 10 years before it begins to flower.

Flowering should be faster for other long duration juvenile trees I guess.

I imagine they were chosen as a lot of people like them, they are quite

Cymek said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

roughbarked said:

Who wants more fucking poplars? Not me, that’s for sure.

Poplars were chosen because of its long juvenile period which can take seven to 10 years before it begins to flower.

Flowering should be faster for other long duration juvenile trees I guess.

I imagine they were chosen as a lot of people like them, they are quite

They are popular because they are native to where the research was done.

Tau.Neutrino said:

CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

I can’t even begin to count the number of practical applications of this. And that in itself is frightening.

Practical applications include:
Grain crops, fruit trees, some vegetables (eg. squash, pulses), flower crops, nurseries, garden varieties, saving highly-endangered plants from extinction, forestry.

If this also works for animals then we have a real can of worms.

Which animals would you choose to greatly shorten the breeding cycle? Dung beetles perhaps? Humans?

mollwollfumble said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

I can’t even begin to count the number of practical applications of this. And that in itself is frightening.

Practical applications include:
Grain crops, fruit trees, some vegetables (eg. squash, pulses), flower crops, nurseries, garden varieties, saving highly-endangered plants from extinction, forestry.

If this also works for animals then we have a real can of worms.

Which animals would you choose to greatly shorten the breeding cycle? Dung beetles perhaps? Humans?

Please don’t go to extremes.

mollwollfumble said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

I can’t even begin to count the number of practical applications of this. And that in itself is frightening.

Practical applications include:
Grain crops, fruit trees, some vegetables (eg. squash, pulses), flower crops, nurseries, garden varieties, saving highly-endangered plants from extinction, forestry.

If this also works for animals then we have a real can of worms.

Which animals would you choose to greatly shorten the breeding cycle? Dung beetles perhaps? Humans?

It seems good (maybe) would errors creep in more with the process sped up though.
Plus you’d really worry if it worked and it was safe they’d supplant natural versions become copyrighted with inbuilt protection against unauthorised growing/breeding

Cymek said:

mollwollfumble said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months

Selective breeding of plants can help give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

more…

I can’t even begin to count the number of practical applications of this. And that in itself is frightening.

Practical applications include:
Grain crops, fruit trees, some vegetables (eg. squash, pulses), flower crops, nurseries, garden varieties, saving highly-endangered plants from extinction, forestry.

If this also works for animals then we have a real can of worms.

Which animals would you choose to greatly shorten the breeding cycle? Dung beetles perhaps? Humans?

It seems good (maybe) would errors creep in more with the process sped up though.
Plus you’d really worry if it worked and it was safe they’d supplant natural versions become copyrighted with inbuilt protection against unauthorised growing/breeding

I’d recall what buffy said about her tangelo tree. “I’m taking the fruit off because at this stage, I want tree not fruit”.

roughbarked said:

Cymek said:

mollwollfumble said:

I can’t even begin to count the number of practical applications of this. And that in itself is frightening.

Practical applications include:
Grain crops, fruit trees, some vegetables (eg. squash, pulses), flower crops, nurseries, garden varieties, saving highly-endangered plants from extinction, forestry.

If this also works for animals then we have a real can of worms.

Which animals would you choose to greatly shorten the breeding cycle? Dung beetles perhaps? Humans?

It seems good (maybe) would errors creep in more with the process sped up though.
Plus you’d really worry if it worked and it was safe they’d supplant natural versions become copyrighted with inbuilt protection against unauthorised growing/breeding

I’d recall what buffy said about her tangelo tree. “I’m taking the fruit off because at this stage, I want tree not fruit”.

Agribusiness is asking too much of science unless they are planning to go all Avatar.