STTR Phase I: Genome Editing in Loblolly Pine for Sustainable Fiber Production in the Southern United States

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project is to support the domestic lumber industry, specifically for loblolly pine, through biological research. The proposed project brings forestry within the scope of the emerging science of genome editing with powerful impacts. Enhanced traits allow commercial entities in pulp and paper manufacturing to save energy and chemical costs; a pulp and paper facility can potentially reduce costs by up to 6%, exceptional for an industry that provides everyday items, such as hygienic tissue and cardboard for deliveries, at thin profit margins. Furthermore, trees play an important role in carbon sequestration, but they need to survive the temperature changes and potential infestations. With the advance of the proposed technology, editing forests could eventually gain acceptance as a significant avenue to bioresource sustainability and carbon sequestration. The proposed project combines the insights of tree genetics with the power of genome editing to generate enhanced genotypes with functional attributes that improve tree growth, processing and sustainability. Based on an integrated predictive model of genes responsible for phenotypes of commercial interest in relevant species, it is possible to select combinations of genome editing targets responsible for enhanced phenotypes, such as lignin content and syringyl/guaiacyl ratio, to modulate the composition of trees as to increase their propensity for processing, their environmental resilience, or valuable commercial features. Using CRISPR-based genome editing technologies, the project will multiplex target these genetic sequences concurrently to generate the intended genetic alteration combinations, using expertise in delivery to commercially relevant elite germplasm. Conventional breeding in forestry is slow and cumbersome because the long generation time of trees requires decades per breeding cycle. No alternative technology is currently feasible for accelerated genetic improvement of forest trees. With the proposed technology, annual crops can be efficiently bred on biannual or annual cycles with the same or improved properties as their conventionally-bred counterparts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.