Biomass improvement through genomics in populus

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Trees of the genus Populus are ideally suited for production of biomass on the Canadian landscape. The genusincludes poplars, cottonwoods, aspens, and their hybrids (herein collectively referred to as poplars), which arefrequently the dominant broad-leaved tree species, and in some regions the only tree species, in Canadianforests. Poplars are used widely in Canada for production of pulp and engineered solid wood products.Recently, the deployment of poplars as short rotation fibre crops has been of interest in the context of globalclimate change, both as a means by which to rapidly sequester carbon and as a feedstock for bioenergyproduction. The utility of poplars in these applications is directly related to rates of biomass accumulation inplantations. Recent analyses suggest that modest improvements in this yield are required to ensure that poplarplantations are a viable option for the production of biomass for carbon sequestration, and, more specifically,for bioenergy production. This project aims to leverage the burgeoning genomics toolbox that is available forpoplars to develop tools to improve biomass accumulation. The project will establish a research pipeline thatlinks gene discovery via genomics with carbon fixation, and ultimately biomass accumulation. The project isfounded on recent data that show that poplar biomass accumulation is directly, and positively, correlated withthe function of stomata, the dynamic pores on plant leaves that allow the uptake of CO2 while limiting waterloss. The project will explore the link between these genes, carbon sequestration and biomass accumulation innatural and engineered poplar trees. Ultimately, the project will develop diagnostics that can be used to selecttrees for the collaborators tree improvement programmes for the purposes of improving biomass accumulation.