Aim
The aim of ENERGYPOPLAR is to understand the genetic basis of tree characteristics that are important for bioenergy applications, such as improved growth and yield and also altered wood quality traits fro enhanced biofuel production.
Overview
We are using a large association study to link saccharification potential and wood quality traits as well as yield to underlying genes using high throughput approaches. Our aim is to use functional genomic and genetic approaches for fast improvement of bioenergy poplar. We are also identifying candidate genes and genetic characteristics associated with high water use efficiency in an effort to minimise the environmental footprint for sustainable bioenergy crops.