CRISPR-INDUCED FLORAL GENE MUTATION AS A MEANS FOR GENETIC CONTAINMENT IN POPLAR: EFFICACY, STABILITY, AND CHIMERISM IN FIELD-GROWN TREES

The goal of this project is to determine if CRISPR targeting of floral genes is an effective and stable means for achieving genetic containment of hybrid poplar under field conditions.The main objectives are to study:Floral structure and thus effects on potential for sexual dispersal.Vegetative morphology and growth rate, and possible non-target impacts of mutagenesis and ongoing CRISPR expression.Stability of phenotypes over years, including whether continued CRISPR expression leads to new mutations or phenotypic changes that impart chimerism within trees.