woody-plants
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.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-07-05
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.
Dual-gRNA CRISPR/Cas9 strategy reliably deletes genomic fragments larger than 50 bp, compared to the small indels typical of single-gRNA approaches.
Mutant trees can be identified by conventional PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis, eliminating the need for routine DNA sequencing during screening.
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.
