The CP4 transgene provides high levels of tolerance to Roundup® herbicide in field-grown hybrid poplars

We tested two genes together in hybrid poplars (genus Populus), CP4 and GOX, for imparting tolerance to glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup(R) herbicide). Using Agrobacterium-based transformation, 80 independent transgenic lines (i.e., products of asexual gene transfer) were produced in a variety of hybrid poplar clones (40 lines in Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray x Populus deltoides Bartr., 35 lines in Populus tremula L. x Populus alba L., and five lines in P. tremula x Populus tremuloides Michx.). We evaluated glyphosate tolerance over 2 years in field studies conducted in eastern and western Oregon. Ten percent of our transgenic lines showed no foliar damage or reduced growth after being sprayed with Roundup(R) at concentrations above normal commercial rates. Lack of damage was associated with expression of the CP4 gene but not of the GOX gene. It was suspected that GOX caused undesirable side effects, so we produced 12 lines into which only the CP4 gene was inserted. The performance of these newly regenerated lines was compared with an identical number of lines, produced in the same genotype, that had previously been engineered to contain both CP4 and GOX. Growth of the lines transformed with just CP4 was significantly better than those containing both genes and exhibited less damage in response to glyphosate treatment. This is the first report of transgenic poplars exhibiting high levels of glyphosate tolerance when grown under field conditions. With a modest transformation effort, it is possible to produce lines with commercially useful levels of glyphosate tolerance and little apparent collateral genetic damage.