Performing Department
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Non Technical Summary
Fir (Abies spp.) account for 66%+ of the annual $2.5 billion US Christmas tree industry. The environmental impact of real versus artificial trees show a locally grown Christmas tree is the more sustainable choice as it can sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Optimization of Christmas tree farms as greenhouse gas sinks has potential to become a net-positive climate activity through incentivization of carbon offset programs. Planting genetically improved fir Christmas trees holds significant promise for the US Christmas tree industry to combat climate change and provide added value to farmers. Across the US, Christmas tree planting stock is derived from germplasm of unknown genetic origin. Therefore, the genetic value of extant planted materials cannot be determined. To address this concern, North Carolina has established a state funded breeding program dedicated to genetic improvement of Fraser fir. A primary goal of this project is to extend genetic improvement capabilities, accelerate the domestication process, and deliver increased value to the US Christmas tree industry through a transdisciplinary, systems-based approach. In addition, we plan to identify economic benefits of genetically improved fir Christmas trees with enhanced climate resilience, pest and pathogen resistance, consumer preferences, and reduction in labor costs. The goal is to implement modern genetic improvement methods for the U.S. Christmas tree industry. We plan to develop low-cost, high-throughput genotyping assays based on genome assemblies of commercially important fir species and scale up somatic embryogenesis techniques for rapid propagation of elite fir germplasm to the U.S. Christmas tree industry.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
APPROACHi. Approach Overview.Our research approach includesfive complementary objectivesaimed at improving the economic and environmental sustainability of the US Christmas tree industry.Objective 1will develop genomic resources, create cost-effective genotyping platforms for fir, generate full-sibpedigree reconstructions for US Christmas tree plantations using molecular markers,and scale up SE methods to rapidly produce improved planting stock;Objective 2will simultaneously phenotype plantation trees with newly reconstructed pedigrees to assess climate resilience (drought & heat) and explore biotic resistance mechanisms (Phytophthora, insect, deer browse);Objective 3will evaluate consumer preference responses of fir aroma profiles,evaluate consumer and public perceptions of genetically improved Christmas trees,identify aroma compound biosynthetic genes, and evaluate associations between compounds that repel deer and attract humans;Objective 4will evaluate economic and environmental sustainability of the Christmas tree industry; andObjective 5will ensure the project incorporates grower feedback through surveys,integrate consumer feedback through Citizen Science surveying, and provide effective communication, education, and resources to industry stakeholders.Project Transdisciplinary Approaches.Ourtransdisciplinary collaborative teamemploys abroad-systemsbased approach to address the most significant threats to the US Christmas tree industry.Objectives 1, 2, and3will utilize "plantation-scale studies" conducted on-farm in conjunction with consumer panels and targeted focus groups to identify elite germplasm and traits of interest;Objective 1 - 3resultswill provide baseline data to support economic analyses and environmental sustainability (Objective 4); andconsumer feedback will be integrated into the research activities through citizen science while surveyingproject findings will be translated directly to stakeholders through Extension efforts (Objective 5.)
Project Methods
Objective 1 - Genetic improvement and productionActivity 1.1.Obtainfunctionally contiguousgenome assemblies for Fraser, noble, Turkish, and momi fir.Sub-Activity 1.1.1.Selection of fir genotypes for genome sequencing.Sub-Activity 1.1.2. Genomic DNA (gDNA) extraction and sequencing.Sub-Activity 1.1.3. Fir genome assembly & annotation strategy.Sub-Activity 1.1.4. Development and expansion of international conifer genomic resources.Activity 1.2. Development ofgenotyping panels to facilitatepedigree reconstruction using molecular markersin fir.Sub-Activity 1.2.1.Development of genotyping panels.Sub-Activity 1.2.2.Application of genotyping panels to facilitate recurrent selections fromplantation-scale studiesusing retrospective analyses of Fraser, noble and CoFirGE complex trees.Sub-Activity 1.2.3.Future planning and testing of genotyping panels for molecular breeding and genomic selection (GS).Activity 1.3. Rapid propagation of elite Christmas tree lines using somatic embryogenesis (SE).Objective 2 Activities.Activity 2.1. Impacts of climate change onAbiesspp. Christmas trees.?Sub-activity 2.1.1. Drought tolerance traits of containerized Fraser, noble, and CoFirGE complex families under a range of water stress.Sub-activity 2.1.2. Drought tolerance traits of field-grown Fraser, noble, and CoFirGE complex families usingplantation-scale studiescoupled with a retrospective genetic analysis across a range of environments.Activity 2.2. Impacts ofPhytophthoraon fir- Population characterization, identification of genes related to disease resistance, and in field diagnostics.Sub-activity 2.2.1. Phylogenetic relationships between east vs west coast PRR isolates.Sub-activity2.2.2. Pathogenicity of Phytophthora species on fir under increasing temperatures.Sub-activity 2.2.3.Identification of genes related to disease resistance.Sub-activity 2.2.4. In field diagnostics of Phytophthora spp.Activity 2.3. Mechanisms of insect tolerance/resistance inAbiesspp.Activity 2.4. Deer browse preference and aroma chemistry ofAbiesspp.Sub-activity 2.4.1.Genetic relationships between deer browse preference and correlations with aroma chemistry of Abies spp.Sub-activity 2.4.2.Genomic resource development of Abies spp. resin producing structures.Objective 3 - Post-harvest, consumer preference & perceptionsActivity 3.1. Consumer panel testing ofAbiesChristmas tree species.Activity 3.2. Evaluation of post-harvest changes to fir Christmas tree aromatic profiles over time.Activity 3.3. Terpene compounds that repel deer and/or attract humans - overlapping or different profiles?Activity 3.4. Aroma compound gene discovery and exploration of potential alternative income streams forAbiesspp. Christmas tree waste products.Sub-activity 3.4.1. Identification of terpene-biosynthetic pathway networks in commercial Abies species.Sub-activity 3.4.2. Functional characterization of key terpene-metabolicgenes from Abiesspp.Sub-activity 3.4.3. Developing a sustainable, cost-effective platform for extracting high-value terpene compounds from Christmas tree waste material.Activity 3.5. Public and consumer perceptions of genetic improvement in Christmas trees.Objective 4 - Economics & sustainabilityActivity 4.1. Techno-economic analysis.?Sub-Activity 4.1.1. Christmas tree market analysis.Sub-Activity 4.1.2. Christmas tree waste byproduct market analysis.Activity 4.2. Life cycle assessment (LCA).Activity 4.3. Economic modeling.Objective 5 - Extension/Engagement?Activity 5.1. Extension and outreach materialsSub-activity 5.1.1. Pocket guides.Sub-activity 5.1.2. Spanish language translationSub-activity 5.1.3. Publishing in trade journals/press.Activity 5.2. Stakeholder surveys evaluating grower perceptions of genetic improvementActivity 5.3. Grower enabled citizen science through ExtensionActivity 5.4. Website and social mediaActivity 5.5. Rotating quarterly Christmas tree webinar series and annual workshops.