The advances to date with quantitative trait locus identification in agronomic crops, which have mostly been with studies of inter- and intra-specific hybrids, are of little relevance to assessing the potential for marker-aided selection in nonhybrid forest tree populations. Although molecular markers provide great opportunities for dissection of quantitative traits in experimental populations, we expect that their near-term usefulness in most operational tree breeding programs will be limited. In addition to cost, this limitation results from quantitative trait locus–marker associations being limited to specific genetic backgrounds as a result of linkage equilibrium, interactions of quantitative trait locus effects with genetic backgrounds, genotype by environment interaction, and changes of quantitative trait locus allele frequencies among generations. Marker-aided selection within individually mapped full-sib families can substantially aid phenotypic selection, but only where large restrictions of genetic base are tolerated, trait heritabilities are low, markers are able to explain much of the additive variance, selection intensities within families are high compared with that among families, and very large numbers of progeny are examined. Broad use of marker-aided selection in the longer term will require substantial technical advances in a number of areas, including means for precise quantitative trait locus identification; reduction of large-scale mapping and genotyping costs; and changes in breeding and propagation systems. Consideration of trait characteristics suggests that marker-aided selection will be most efficient in direct selection with high-value, low-heritability traits such as height and diameter growth. These traits, however, often show genotype by environment interaction and unfavorable genetic correlations with other desirable traits, and are likely to be controlled by a large number of minor genes rather than relatively few major ones. Traits with the most potential for marker-aided selection in nonhybrid tree populations will therefore be strongly inherited ones for which phenotypic assay is difficult; examples might include wood quality, resistance to biotrophic pathogens, and resistance to air pollutants. Because of the large disequilibrium generated during hybridization and the great phenotypic variance that segregates in F2 and backcross generations, interspecific hybrid programs lend themselves much more readily to marker-aideed selection. Segregation distortion and related meiotic aberrations, however, may substantially hamper precise estimation of quantitative trait locus locations and phenotypic effects. Nonadditive quantitative trait locus effects will likely be greater in hybrid populations than in intraspecific populations. Rapid decay of disequilibrium due to recombination, and allele frequency shifts due to selective breeding and natural selection during early generations after hybridization, are likely to cause instability for quantitative trait locus - marker associations and quantitative trait locus phenotypic effects. Finally, interspecific hybridization of highly heterozygous individuals from species in linkage equilibrium will impede marker-aided selection.

SummaryRelative to crop plants, the domestication of forest trees is still in its infancy. For example, the domestication of many crop plants was initiated some 10 000 years ago in the so-called 'Fertile Crescent' of the Middle East. By contrast, the domestication of forest trees for the purposes of producing more fibre began in earnest in the last half century. The application of biotechnology to forest trees offers a great potential to hasten the pace of tree improvement for desirable end uses. This review outlines some of the progress that has been made in the application of biotechnology to forest trees, and considers the prospects for biotechnologically based tree improvement in the future.

Bud-break is an economically and environmentally important process in trees and shrubs from boreal and temperate latitudes, but its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that two previously reported transcription factors, EARLY BUD BREAK 1 (EBB1) and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE-Like (SVL) directly interact to control bud-break. EBB1 is a positive regulator of bud-break, whereas SVL is a negative regulator of bud-break. EBB1 directly and negatively regulates SVL expression. We further report the identification and characterization of the EBB3 gene. EBB3 is a temperature-responsive, epigenetically-regulated, positive regulator of bud-break that provides a direct link to activation of the cell cycle during bud-break. EBB3 is an AP2/ERF transcription factor that positively and directly regulates CYCLIND3.1 gene. Our results reveal the architecture of a putative regulatory module that links temperature-mediated control of bud-break with activation of cell cycle.

Summary Genes controlling plant growth and form are of considerable interest, because they affect survival and productivity traits, and are largely unknown or poorly characterized. The SHORT INTERNODES(SHI) gene is one of a 10‐member SHI‐RELATED SEQUENCE (SRS) gene family in Arabidopsis that includes important developmental regulators. Using comparative sequence analysis of the SRS gene families in poplar and Arabidopsis, we identified two poplar proteins that are most similar to SHI and its closely related gene STYLISH1 (STY1). The two poplar genes are very similar in sequence and expression and are therefore probably paralogs with redundant functions. RNAi suppression of the two Populus genes enhanced shoot and root growth, whereas the overexpression of Arabidopsis SHI in poplar reduced internode and petiole length. The suppression of the two genes increased fiber length and the proportion of xylem tissue, mainly through increased xylem cell proliferation. The transgenic modifications were also associated with significant changes in the concentrations of gibberellins and cytokinin. We conclude that Populus SHI‐RELATED SEQUENCE (SRS) genes play an important role in the regulation of vegetative growth, including wood formation, and thus could be useful tools for the modification of biomass productivity, wood quality or plant form.

Plants transition through juvenile and adult phases of vegetative development in a process known as vegetative phase change (VPC). In poplars (genus Populus) the differences between these stages are subtle, making it difficult to determine when this transition occurs. Previous studies of VPC in poplars have relied on plants propagated in vitro, leaving the natural progression of this process unknown.We examined developmental morphology of seed-grown and in vitro derived Populus tremula 9 alba (clone 717-1B4), and compared the phenotype of these to transgenics with manipulated miR156 expression, the master regulator of VPC.In seed-grown plants, most traits changed from node-to-node during the first 3 months of development but remained constant after node 25. Many traits remained unchanged in clones over-expressing miR156, or were enhanced when miR156 was lowered, demonstrating their natural progression is regulated by the miR156/SPL pathway. The characteristic leaf fluttering of Populus is one of these miR156-regulated traits.Vegetative development in plants grown from culture mirrored that of seed-grown plants, allowing direct comparison between plants often used in research and those found in nature. These results provide a foundation for further research on the role of VPC in the ecology and evolution of this economically important genus.