Naidoo Sanushka, Slippers Bernard, Plett Jonathan M, Coles Donovin, Oates Caryn N
Division of Genetics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia.
Front Plant Sci. 2019 Mar 29;10:273. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00273. eCollection 2019.
In recent years, forests have been exposed to an unprecedented rise in pests and pathogens. This, coupled with the added challenge of climate change, renders forest plantation stock vulnerable to attack and severely limits productivity. Genotypes resistant to such biotic challenges are desired in plantation forestry to reduce losses. Conventional breeding has been a main avenue to obtain resistant genotypes. More recently, genetic engineering has become a viable approach to develop resistance against pests and pathogens in forest trees. Tree genomic resources have contributed to advancements in both these approaches. Genome-wide association studies and genomic selection in tree populations have accelerated breeding tools while integration of various levels of omics information facilitates the selection of candidate genes for genetic engineering. Furthermore, tree associations with non-pathogenic endophytic and subterranean microbes play a critical role in plant health and may be engineered in forest trees to improve resistance in the future. We look at recent studies in forest trees describing defense mechanisms using such approaches and propose the way forward to developing superior genotypes with enhanced resistance against biotic stress.
近年来，森林遭受病虫害和病原体侵袭的情况空前增加。再加上气候变化带来的额外挑战，使得人工林树木易受攻击，严重限制了生产力。人工林林业需要抗此类生物挑战的基因型，以减少损失。传统育种一直是获得抗性基因型的主要途径。最近，基因工程已成为培育林木抗病虫害能力的可行方法。树木基因组资源推动了这两种方法的进步。树木群体中的全基因组关联研究和基因组选择加快了育种工具的发展，而整合不同层面的组学信息则有助于为基因工程选择候选基因。此外，树木与非致病性内生和地下微生物的关联在植物健康中起着关键作用，未来有可能通过基因工程手段来增强林木的抗性。我们审视了近期关于林木利用此类方法描述防御机制的研究，并提出了培育具有更强生物胁迫抗性的优良基因型的未来发展方向。
