IkemanTx
5 year old buck +
Somehow I missed it when it was announced a month ago, but apparently ESFR Research (a lab working closely with the American chestnut foundation) is really close to being able to release a transgenic (genes added, not crossbred) American Chestnut for restoration purposes. One of the cool things is that when done transgenically, there are no non-native American genes to try to breed out. They are actually breeding the scientifically produced chestnuts with 100% natural Americans from numerous sources to have a large of a genetic diversity as possible. They found a way to make a seedling flower and produce pollen within one year, rather than 5-7 that normally occurs. This means they can get pollen from trees that would have never made it old enough to flower before the blight killed them. Pretty neat way of doing it.
Last month's announcement of their showcase testing facility...
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Last month's announcement of their showcase testing facility...
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