The virus is thought to have spread to the US from the same species of tree in China. Thousands of trees were replanted each year after the outbreak, but all of the infected trees died again.
First Published Jan 28, 2023, 4:50 PM IST
OThe debate on genetic engineering in the United States is heating up the debate about whether to approve the GE (genetically engineered) version of the chestnut tree, which was available in the United States during the 20th century but has been extinct for more than a century. The country has already developed and experimentally cultivated a genetically modified version of the chestnut tree, known as Darling 58, although it lacks commercial approval. Researchers are now waiting for government approval to plant it widely in forests. Reports say that the government is unlikely to come to a decision so soon as concerns about genetically modified plants still exist. If the government gets approval, Darling 58 will become the world’s first GE forest tree species.
The chestnut tree, which once enriched American forests, began to suffer widespread destruction in the early 20th century. More than four billion trees were killed by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica. The virus is thought to have spread to the U.S. from the same species of tree in China. Thousands of trees were replanted each year after the outbreak, but all of the infected trees died again. In the 1980s, researchers at the Department of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York College began studies to develop a genetically modified version. . Eventually the studies paid off and the Darling 58 was successfully developed,
Although many countries now allow the commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops, the United States was the first country to allow such an experiment on a tree growing in the wild, but authorities are still concerned about whether it should be widely planted. was given According to Malaysia-based World Rainforest Movement, about 1.4 million GE poplar trees have been planted in China on 300-500 hectares. Although China is the only country to have started commercial plantations of GE trees, the US, Germany and Canada are also conducting field tests of GE poplar trees. In 2015, The US and Brazil had approved commercial plantations of GE versions of loblolly pine and eucalyptus trees, but for various reasons those plantations could not get off the ground.
India had also experimented with GE rubber trees. The Rubber Research Institute of India, a central government research center based in Kottayam, had received permission to conduct field trials in 2010 but had to abandon it after the Kerala government opposed it. However, in June 2021, the Assam government approved the research institute under the Rubber Board to conduct field trials. Given. Related work is currently underway. Researchers are doing related work in the hope that this variety will allow the cultivation of better quality rubber in the non-traditional rubber states of Assam and Mizoram. That said, if America approves the genetic version of the chestnut tree, it will be a lifeline for genetic projects that are now halfway across the world. It also means that it opens the possibility of further studies in this area.
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Last Updated Jan 28, 2023, 4:51 PM IST
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