Federal regulatory approval for an experimental American chestnut tree made in Syracuse hit a snag recently when researchers discovered that they’ve been unwittingly experimenting with the wrong tree.
Researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry are seeking federal approval for public distribution of a transgenic American chestnut tree called Darling-58.
If approved, Darling-58 would be the first genetically engineered tree made for large-scale reforestation, and could save the American chestnut from the brink of extinction.
ESF submitted its petition to federal agencies four years ago after years of experimentation to determine the safety of Darling-58.
Due to a labeling mishap in 2016, however, it turns out that researchers have been working on a different tree all along called Darling-54.
When scientists collaborating with ESF discovered the mistake this past fall, ESF informed regulators immediately and submitted new information in late December, said Andrew Newhouse, director of ESF’s American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project.
After a brief pause, regulators are now reviewing additional information provided by ESF, said U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman, Richard Coker.
Newhouse says there’s no difference between Darling-54 and Darling-58 in terms of safety.
“They were both produced in the same experiment when we were creating these transgenic lines,” he said.
Aside from precisely where the blight-resistant gene is inserted into the trees’ genomes, the two tree lines are “exactly the same,” he added. “The background is the same, the new DNA is the same.”
Still, the mishap has caused an uproar in the small but passionate American chestnut community.
The American Chestnut Foundation, which has collaborated closely with ESF over the past decade, announced in December that it is discontinuing development of the Darling line of trees, citing poor performance of the tree in its research…
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