Genetic Engineering of Perennial Grasses: Trait Modification, Transgene Containment and Gene Discovery in Turf Species

Perennial grasses are essential components of agriculture and environment, among which turfgrass, forages and biofuel plants play increasingly important roles in modern agriculture practice, significantly impacting agriculture structure, agriculture production, agriculture economy, environment, ecology and global climate. Genetic improvement of perennials using biotechnology approaches is important to the turfgrass industry, biofuel production and the environment, and accumulating evidence has demonstrated the feasibility of genetically engineering various perennial grasses for trait modifications. However, the environmentally responsible utilization of transgenic perennials requires the development of methods for transgene containment. Besides, to effectively engineer perennial grasses for enhanced performance, it is essential to identify and functionally characterize new genes and various biological pathways. This knowledge would help design appropriate molecular strategies to genetically improve target plant species. This presentation focuses on turfgrass species summarizing progress in turgrass biotech research, development of gene containment strategies and gene discovery for development of novel molecular strategies for trait modification. The presentation aims at providing information promoting public understanding of new technology for use in genetic improvement of perennial grasses and facilitating deregulation and commercialization of perennial transgenic products.