The world-first publication of a reference genome for radiata pine represents a big step forward for forestry science and innovation.

The large and complex genome – more than eight times the size of the human genome, at over 25 billion base pairs – provides powerful tools to improve productivity, wood quality and radiata pine trees’ resilience to environmental stress. It allows scientists to identify and target the genes that influence key traits such as growth rate, wood quality, drought tolerance and disease resistance – highlighting the value of integrating cutting-edge genomics into real-world breeding programmes.

The genome has not been fully decoded until now, and this research makes it one of the largest plant genomes ever sequenced.

Published in the G3 journal, the genome is the result of more than 10 years of work led by the Scion Group of the Bioeconomy Science Institute, in collaboration with the Radiata Pine Breeding Company (RPBC), New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the Public Health and Forensic Science Institute (PHF) and the University of Tasmania.

Radiata pine is one of the southern hemisphere’s most important commercial tree species and has long been a cornerstone of New Zealand’s plantation forestry industry. Despite its economic value, the species is considered threatened in its native California range. With the release of this reference genome, researchers now have the tools to preserve genetic diversity, support conservation and accelerate climate resilience and adaptation strategies.

“Having a reference genome for this species is a big step forward for breeding while also helping support conservation of the species in its native range,” says Dr Tancred Frickey, senior bioinformatician at the Bioeconomy Science Institute.

The genome acts as an instruction manual for how radiata pine trees grow, develop and respond to their environment. This information is a crucial step toward accelerating the forestry industry’s ability to breed trees with highly desirable characteristics such as improved growth rates or resistance to drought and disease more reliably and precisely.

The project began in 2012. In 2014 a $6 million investment co-funded by RPBC and MBIE was established to include in the project the development of the world’s first radiata pine 36k SNPchip, backed by the international conifer genomics community. This single-nucleotide polymorphism chip is a tool scientists can use to select the right traits when breeding radiata pine.

Shane Sturrock, a senior scientist at the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science and a co-author of the study, says the team had to acquire a specialised system that combined high memory, processing power and storage in one. “At the time, it was one of the most powerful single computers of its kind.”

With the release of the final reference genome, the project has reached a major milestone. “This marks the start of a new era of precision forestry,” Shane says. “Traditionally, developing new tree varieties with these characteristics could take decades. But now, with the complete genome in hand, we’re entering a new phase of innovation where breeding and research can happen faster and with greater accuracy.”

Radiata Pine Breeding Company general manager Darrell O’Brien says this breakthrough reflects the importance of sustained collaborative investment in science and shows what New Zealand can achieve at the cutting edge of forestry innovation.

“By bridging advanced genomics with real-world breeding programmes, this research sets a global benchmark for sustainable forestry and biodiversity conservation.”

Source: scionresearch.com