THE STATE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE FORESTRY SECTOR, EXCLUDING GENETIC MODIFICATION.

The information compiled in the data set of biotechnology activities excluding genetic modification represents 2 196 references (or 81 percent of all activities reported). Activities were reported in 76 countries, broken down by regions as follows: 39 percent of the activities were reported in Europe, 24 percent in Asia, 23 percent in North America, 6 percent in Oceania, 5 percent in South America, 3 percent in Africa and less than one percent in the Near East (Figure 2.1.1A). Both developed countries (24 countries, representing 68 percent of biotechnology activities) and developing countries and countries in transition (52 countries, or 32 percent of activities) were represented (Figure 2.1.1B). Developing countries and countries in transition were mainly represented by India (27 percent of these countries’ activities), China (17 percent), Brazil (7 percent), South Africa (5 percent) and Malaysia
(4 percent). Three countries (India, China and Brazil) accounted for 52 percent of all biotechnology work reported in developing countries and countries in transition.
Species surveyed belonged to 142 botanical genera. Sixty-two percent of the information collected in the database regarded research carried out on less than six genera including Pinus (20 percent of biotechnology activities excluding genetic modification), Eucalyptus
(11 percent), Picea (9 percent), Populus (9 percent), Quercus (7 percent) and Acacia
(6 percent) (Figure 2.1.2). Just four genera (Pinus, Eucalyptus, Picea and Populus) account for almost half of the compiled biotechnology activities excluding genetic modification.
Work was found to be relatively evenly spread between the three main categories of biotechnology categories apart from genetic modification: characterization of tree species genetic diversity represented 32 percent of biotechnology activities, MMG 26 percent, and micropropagation 42 percent (Figure 2.1.3A). Differences were more marked when tree genera were considered (Figure 2.1.3B). The forestry sector appears to have rapidly adopted markers developed for agricultural crops (Figure 2.1.4). Isozymes and random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) have been widely used for genetic diversity description although the present trend seems to favour microsatellites (nuclear and chloroplast) and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). Driven by research on genomics, expressed genome banks (ESTs [expressed sequence tags]) are being widely developed.
The majority of the work reported is still mainly at the experimental stage in the laboratory. Genetic diversity characterization has less than one percent of its reported activities in the field, MMG 2.5 percent and micropropagation 5 percent (Figure 2.1.5). Field tests are still mainly geared to supporting laboratory research. These results possibly reflect the origin of the information in the data set. While research activities in the public sector are relatively easy to collect, especially through international research storage databases, information on commercial applications is generally restricted and incomplete.
Commercial applications of micropropagation are, however, generating increasing interest. The potential is huge although, up to now, only several thousand hectares seem to have been established globally using micropropagated materials.
In South America, particularly in Brazil, some companies are reported to be integrating micropropagation into the clonal propagation process: micropropagation is used to ‘store’ clones in mother blocks (gene banks) in the laboratory as potential sources of responsive nursery stock plants for large-scale mass propagation. The use of rooted cuttings has allowed the propagation costs to be lowered significantly.
Great expectations have been raised about the possible contribution of biotechnology to tree selection and breeding, and its commercial applications. Genomics and proteomics should greatly help breeders in tree selection, in particular in the identification of traits of interests. However, it remains difficult to predict when new forest tree varieties selected with biotechnology tools will become available on the market. Although genetic diversity characterization started some 30 years ago, very limited large-scale commercial application has yet been reported in forest tree genetic resources conservation and management.

Figure 2.1.1A. Distribution of reported forest biotechnology activities (excluding genetic modification) by world region

Figure 2.1.1B. Distribution of reported forest biotechnology activities (percent of activities in the data set, excluding genetic modification) by country (for the 15 countries most represented, making up 77 percent of the data set of entries excluding genetic modification)

Figure 2.1.2. Distribution of reported forestry biotechnology activities, excluding genetic modification, by genus

Figure 2.1.3A. Distribution of biotechnology activities, excluding genetic modification, by broad category (genetic diversity characterization; mapping, marker-assisted selection and genomics [MMG]; and micropropagation)