The University of Queensland has completed an independent examination of the ploidy level, genomic stability and growth performance of a range of adapted tree species.

The results of this examination were presented at the:

• ComBio 2006 Conference, 24-28 September 2006, Brisbane Convention Centre, Queensland, Australia; and
  
• IUFRO Division 2 Joint Conference: Low input breeding and genetic conservation of forest tree species, 9-13 October 2006 Antalya, Turkey.

Click here to view the poster being displayed at these conferences (339kb).

The report compared measurements of plant morphology (height, growth, stem diameter, number of branches, total biomass, leaf area, etc) as well as plant physiology (net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, fluorescence, chlorophyll content, etc).

Results confirm polyploids outperformed their diploid parents, specifically showing:

• Significantly greater leaf elongation rates
• Significantly greater leaf size
• Significantly greater stomatal conductance
• Significantly greater photosynthetic rate
• Significantly greater electron transport rate
• Significantly greater plant biomass
• Significantly greater flower/fruit mass
• Significantly greater nuclear DNA content
• Significantly higher chlorophyll levels
• All of the above whilst utilising less resources than their diploid parents.
• 'all clone lines of the ten species tested had extremely high genomic stability, demonstrating that mass clonal production programmes should result in phenotypically stable clone lines'
• 'Selected clone lines were morphologically different, exhibited better growth, had an increased photosynthetic rate and different biochemical properties than their diploid parents'

Refering to the image above, the DNA profile of the parent plant is on the left, which was then placed through the Tree Adaptation Process producing the adapted clones of P3, P7 and P15.

Each dash represents a DNA segment. The bottom line of dashes of all of the DNA profiles proves that all tested plants are derived from the mother plant.

The differing DNA segments on the higher lines prove that all modified plants have been rearranged at the molecular level to adapt to a specific set of environmental conditions.