Texas A&M University ecosystem science and management department is taking a closer look with a super microscope at the loblolly pine species.
AgriLife Today reports the laser capture microdissection microscope, or LCMM, is among the most versatile and accurate instruments to perform chromosomal work. A LCMM is located in the Forest Science Laboratory on the Texas A&M campus and will be used to isolate and sequence one chromosome at a time from loblolly pine cells.
Loblolly pine represents the principal southern U.S. commercial forest species. The forest products industry relies on the pine and has a large economic impact on Texas of $30.3 billion and more than 130,600 jobs.
Identifying the genetic variants with the use of LCMM can help scientists understand the response of different trees to climate change, develop genetic tests to tell where a tree and its progeny will grow best, and improve knowledge of the genetic basis of important traits in plants. In addition, this work will have similar applications to other crops.