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<p>The American chestnut (<i>Castanea dentata</i> [Marsh.] Borkh.) was a foundational forest canopy species in eastern North America until an accidentally imported fungal blight (caused by <i>Cryphonectria parasitica</i> [Murr.] Barr.) rendered it functionally extinct across its native range. Biotechnological approaches, such as the bioengineered Darling 54 line, have potential for future restoration of American chestnut, but field-based evaluations of blight tolerance have been limited. Progress has been slowed by the many years it takes for seedlings to grow to saplings, then to full-fledged trees. Current regulatory restrictions also constrain the testing of transgenic chestnuts to within permitted orchards. This research reports on a two-year field trial of Darling 54, their non-transgenic wild-type siblings and Chinese chestnut (<i>Castanea mollissima</i> Blume) controls. The research deployed a randomized block design to test for blight tolerance. In the two years, three replicates each of 261 trees were branch-inoculated with EP-155, a highly virulent isolate of the fungal blight. Based on canker length, Darling 54 trees consistently outperformed their non-transgenic wild-type siblings and Chinese chestnut. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a multi-year field trial of fungal blight inoculations comparing advanced generation Darling 54 families. This field-based evaluation suggests that reintroduction programs using Darling 54 American chestnuts, which can commence after federal approval, may offer a promising path to success.</p>

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Two-year field testing of genetically engineered American chestnut reveals fungal blight tolerance

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月7日

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  • Thomas Klak,
  • Steven E. Travis,
  • Virginia Grace May,
  • Ek Han Tan,
  • Matthew W. H. Chatfield,
  • Miranda Wheeler

摘要

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata [Marsh.] Borkh.) was a foundational forest canopy species in eastern North America until an accidentally imported fungal blight (caused by Cryphonectria parasitica [Murr.] Barr.) rendered it functionally extinct across its native range. Biotechnological approaches, such as the bioengineered Darling 54 line, have potential for future restoration of American chestnut, but field-based evaluations of blight tolerance have been limited. Progress has been slowed by the many years it takes for seedlings to grow to saplings, then to full-fledged trees. Current regulatory restrictions also constrain the testing of transgenic chestnuts to within permitted orchards. This research reports on a two-year field trial of Darling 54, their non-transgenic wild-type siblings and Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) controls. The research deployed a randomized block design to test for blight tolerance. In the two years, three replicates each of 261 trees were branch-inoculated with EP-155, a highly virulent isolate of the fungal blight. Based on canker length, Darling 54 trees consistently outperformed their non-transgenic wild-type siblings and Chinese chestnut. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a multi-year field trial of fungal blight inoculations comparing advanced generation Darling 54 families. This field-based evaluation suggests that reintroduction programs using Darling 54 American chestnuts, which can commence after federal approval, may offer a promising path to success.