In Your Turf: April 1997, Biotech: The Search For Super Plants

The premise behind the research is simple — take a turfgrass species with genetically based weaknesses, introduce a bit of genetic material that allows the species to overcome those shortcomings and create a super plant that naturally resists its biggest Achilles’ heel. The potential is enormous, but there are still many unanswered questions and perhaps a decade of additional research to conduct before designer turf hits the lawns of America.

THE PROCESS. Creating a genetically engineered turf variety was made possible through the invention of what is commonly known as the gene gun. The apparatus shoots DNA-coated particles at high velocities into the tissue of a turfgrass plant. Using tissue culture techniques, cells that are transformed by the injection of the genetic material are grown into whole plants.

The DNA that is introduced into the plant can be taken from a variety of different sources, including fungus, yeast and other types of plants. This allows researchers to use the genetic material from a wide range of sources.

The potential is tremendous if we can solve some of the severe disease problems that we have not been able to find genetic solutions for, using traditional breeding methods, said William Meyer, professor and turfgrass breeder with Cook College of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.

This could hold some new solutions for turf problems that we didn’t have before — for example, a disease such as pythium in perennial ryegrass. It’s absolutely devastating under certain conditions, but if there’s a way to add some tolerance in ryegrass by adding some genes, it’s pretty exciting.

Research at Rutgers has shown that scientists can cross-pollinate the genetically altered material and move those genes on to the next generation, showing that the genetic improvements have the ability to persist.

Biotech gives you the possibility of looking not just at species but at other organisms for genetic material, explained Meyer. An example Meyer cited is the pokeweed gene, which he said appears to control the devastating disease rhizoctonia when impregnated in some turf species.

In addition, there has been widespread attention given to Rutgers’ success in introducing a gene that is resistant to a non-selective herbicide.

THE CATCHES. Unfortunately, there are some limitations to the technology. On the technical side, the process of bombarding the tissue with genetic material can alter existing genes in the tissue. The altered turfgrass plant must undergo extensive testing through traditional breeding methods to ensure that its positive traits have been retained.

An important consideration, especially with herbicide resistance, is having a stand of turf that consists strictly of the herbicide resistant variety that is also able to tolerate a number of different stressors.

For example, if the variety doesn’t have excellent heat tolerance and the temperatures get abnormally high, then it better be very heat tolerant because it will be the only species you have, said Meyer.

What this will do is increase the amount of research that needs to be performed, as well as the cost. For this reason, Meyer said he won’t release any variety that doesn’t meet optimum stress tolerance standards.

Another factor that will increase the cost is the still untested question of who will get the royalties from gene gun-produced varieties. The original developer of the gene gun, John Sanford, entered into a collaborative working arrangement with The Scotts Company, Marysville, Ohio, involving exclusive marketing rights of turf varieties transformed with the gene gun.

The people that hold the patents on the gene gun are going to want royalties, the people that own those various genes are going to want royalties and the people who put the genes into the tissue are going to want some royalties, explained Meyer.

Compare that to conventional plant breeding and you are looking at a more expensive product.