Last month, the Brazilian National Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio) approved the commercial use of the yield-enhanced eucalyptus tree developed by FuturaGene (www.futuragene.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Suzano Pulp and Paper (São Paulo, Brazil; www.suzano.com.br). Field experiments conducted since 2006 at various locations in Brazil have demonstrated an approximate 20% increase in yield compared to its equivalent conventional variety.
This is the first genetically modified (GM) eucalyptus event to be approved worldwide and represents the most significant productivity milestone for the renewable plantation forest industry since the adoption of clonal technology in the early 1990s, says FuturaGene. This approval also represents the beginning of a new era for sustainable forest management by enabling the production of more fiber, using less resources. Brazil is the first country to complete the development cycle of such a technology.
FuturaGene’s yield-enhanced eucalyptus has been under development since 2001 and has undergone extensive biosafety assessment prior to submission for commercial approval.