Trees also à la carte

1997/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia
• Ingurumena

Almost every day some news about genetic engineering appears in the media. The discipline that long ago aims to modify the genetic code of the creatures has provoked a great revolt and almost certainly the question continues in its origins. At Warwick University in Britain, for example, we are working on obtaining higher yielding varieties through the modification of the genetic code of certain plants, within the LATIN project, together with other European experts.

And they're already getting results. The star of this project is a type of watercress called Arabidopsis. In fact, many laboratories across Europe are studying the genetic characteristics of this plant to obtain plants that reproduce with greater ease, speed and correction. Specifically, the aim of the research is to control the mechanisms that make the roots and branches of arabidopsis reproduce.

In fact, arabidopsis has a relatively simple structure, but in turn it is very similar to other species of great industrial use such as eucalyptus. The success of the genetic manipulation of these plants can cause a real revolution in the paper industry.