Woody plants are species that produce wood—a rigid, lignin-reinforced structural tissue—allowing them to persist above ground year after year rather than dying back like herbaceous plants. This perennial, self-supporting growth habit makes woody species central to studies of secondary growth, cambial activity, and long-term carbon storage. Understanding wood formation also informs research into forest resilience, biomass production, and adaptation to seasonal stress.
Scientists developed a faster, more reliable method to knock out genes in poplar trees using a two-guide CRISPR system that deletes large chunks of DNA instead of making tiny edits, making it much easier to confirm the mutation worked.
1
Dual-gRNA CRISPR/Cas9 strategy reliably deletes genomic fragments larger than 50 bp, compared to the small indels typical of single-gRNA approaches.
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Mutant trees can be identified by conventional PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis, eliminating the need for routine DNA sequencing during screening.
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The protocol was validated using the PtFBX230 gene in Populus tremula x P. alba clone INRA 717-1B4 and is designed to be transferable to other loci and related woody species.
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