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Key message: The early flowering system HSP::AtFT allowed a fast evaluation of a gene containment system based on the construct PsEND1::barnase–barstar for poplar. Transgenic lines showed disturbed pollen development and sterility. Abstract: Vertical gene transfer through pollen flow from transgenic or non-native plant species into their crossable natural relatives is a major concern. Gene containment approaches have been proposed to reduce or even avoid gene flow among tree species. However, evaluation of genetic containment strategies for trees is very difficult due to the long-generation times. Early flowering induction would allow faster evaluation of genetic containment in this case. Although no reliable methods were available for the induction of fertile flowers in poplar, recently, a new early flowering approach was developed. In this study, early flowering poplar lines containing the gene construct PsEND1::barnase–barstar were obtained. The PsEND1 promoter was chosen due to its early expression pattern, its versality and efficiency for generation of male-sterile plants fused to the barnase gene. RT-PCRs confirmed barnase gene activity in flowers, and pollen development was disturbed, leading to sterile flowers. The system developed in this study represents a valuable tool for gene containment studies in forest tree species.

We have constructed an aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx., line Turesson141) BAC library containing 55,296 clones in total. A random sampling of 86 BAC clones indicated an average insert size of 76 kb with a range of 20 to 160 kb. Twelve percent of the BAC clones in the library have an insert size larger than 100 kb. Based on an estimated genome size for Populus of 500 Mbp, library coverage is about 8 haploid genome equivalents. This library will be screened using AFLP marker identified before co-segregating with gender in a P. tremula x P. tremuloides progeny, where Turesson141 was the male parent.

A major concern over the use of transgenic trees is the potential for transgene dispersal through pollen and seeds. The incorporation of sterility inducing genes into transgenic lines of trees has been proposed to reduce or even avoid gene flow of transgenes into non-transgenic interbreeding species. The evaluation of strategies for the induction of sterility in transgenic forest tree species has been hindered by their long vegetative phases. In this study an early flowering 35S