About this Research Topic
Trees contribute to a big part of our economy. Unlike the reference plants such as Arabidopsis or rice that have been in the spotlight for the past few decades, trees and tree genomes have received little attention. Studying the biology of trees poses many challenges such as long generation time (perennialism), low and asynchronous seed germination rate, presence of excessive secondary metabolites hindering tissue culture, transformation and yield of good quality DNA as well as RNA, absence of genomic data and mutants. However, in spite of so many challenges, it is important to understand how the growth of trees is regulated in different environmental, nutrient and ecological conditions. Since the genomes of many tree species have now been sequenced, comparative genomics will help us to understand the complexity of tree genomes and how this addresses traits, which are unique to trees.
This special issue invites perspective articles on the emerging areas of tree biology that aim to shed fresh light on tree genomics and the genetic underpinnings of physiological and morphological traits of interest. Studies focusing on the identification and characterization of traits and genes that can be targeting for biotechnological improvements to accelerate their commercial utilization are of special interest. We hope this Research Topic will promote the development of an international consortium to exchange ideas among research groups working on tree genetics and help to prioritize future thrust areas in this field. Collectively, it will guide funding agencies and policy makers to launch new programmes, which will be relevant for today’s bio-economy.
We welcome submissions of Perspective articles that address the following subtopics:
• Consequence of whole-genome duplication for the evolution of important gene families;
• Expression and functional characterization of genes related to flowering time, cellulose-lignin biosynthesis, metabolism and transport of sugars, and fruit quality;
• Effects of diverse abiotic, biotic stresses and nutrient availability on tree growth;
• Emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from trees and the ecological significance of VOCs;
• Biotechnology of underutilized trees;
• Environmental issues related to the release of transgenic trees in nature.
This special issue invites perspective articles on the emerging areas of tree biology that aim to shed fresh light on tree genomics and the genetic underpinnings of physiological and morphological traits of interest. Studies focusing on the identification and characterization of traits and genes that can be targeting for biotechnological improvements to accelerate their commercial utilization are of special interest. We hope this Research Topic will promote the development of an international consortium to exchange ideas among research groups working on tree genetics and help to prioritize future thrust areas in this field. Collectively, it will guide funding agencies and policy makers to launch new programmes, which will be relevant for today’s bio-economy.
We welcome submissions of Perspective articles that address the following subtopics:
• Consequence of whole-genome duplication for the evolution of important gene families;
• Expression and functional characterization of genes related to flowering time, cellulose-lignin biosynthesis, metabolism and transport of sugars, and fruit quality;
• Effects of diverse abiotic, biotic stresses and nutrient availability on tree growth;
• Emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from trees and the ecological significance of VOCs;
• Biotechnology of underutilized trees;
• Environmental issues related to the release of transgenic trees in nature.
Keywords: Tree genomics, Tree genetics, Tree biology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
