Project Aims To Create More Efficient Tree Structure
February 10, 2015 A new project to research the genetics behind tree architecture was recently awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation Plant Genome Research Program.
A research team from Cornell University and USDA’s Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory in West Virginia will examine the effect of lateral branch growth and the genes that influence branch growth in apple and peach trees.
Kenong Xu, assistant professor of horticulture at Cornell University’s New York State Agriculture Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, is heading “Elucidating the Gene Networks Controlling Branch Angle and the Directional Growth of Lateral Meristems in Trees,” project with plant molecular biologist Chris Dardick and research engineer Amy Tabb from USDA.
Xu, Dardick, and Tabb hope to be able to be able to alter the structure of individual trees and raise the angle of branches to allow for more high-density plantings. This project aims to create a better use of land space, increase production efficiency, sustainability, and viability.
To read more about Xu’s research, click here.
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