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Releasing the Biotech Blight Resistant Chestnut - Erik Carlson

The American chestnut was a dominant tree in many of the forests of the eastern United States. In the early 20th century an imported fungus spread quickly through the population, destroying trees across the range. A biotech solution to repatriate the forests began in the 1990's, leading to the production of trees that could resist blight based on the addition of a gene from wheat. Erik Carlson speaks about the technology, the testing, and the pushback against the technology. This episode is presented to provide information that may compel you to comment in the public comment period with USDA/APHIS that is part of the deregulation process. Read the release docket and provide your comments here -- https://www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2020-0030-8291/comment

Dec 24, 2022 by Dr. Kevin Folta in Talking Biotech

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The American chestnut was a dominant tree in many forests in the eastern United States. In the late 1800's an imported fungus spread rapidly throughout the range, destroying most of the trees in a matter of decades. Scientists at the State University of New York have engineered trees to host a gene from wheat that disarms the fungal invader, breaking the production of an acid required for infection. This strategy allows the tree and the fungus to live together without infection. Erik Carlson discusses the problem, the project, the push back and the current deregulation efforts to release the tree in the interest of repatriating its native range. Read the release docket and provide your comments here -- https://www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2020-0030-8291/comment

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