Transgenic Leucaena leucocephala expressing the Rhizobium gene pydA encoding a meta-cleavage dioxygenase shows reduced mimosine content

…Fell Upas Sits, the Hydra-Tree of Death †, or the Phytotoxicity of Trees

The use of natural products that can serve as natural herbicides and insecticides is a promising direction because of their greater safety for humans and environment. Secondary metabolites of plants that are toxic to plants and insects-allelochemicals-can be used as such products. Woody plants can produce allelochemicals, but they are studied much less than herbaceous species. Meanwhile, there is a problem of interaction of woody species with neighboring plants in the process of introduction or invasion, co-cultivation with agricultural crops (agroforestry) or in plantation forestry (multiclonal or multispecies plantations). This review describes woody plants with the greatest allelopathic potential, allelochemicals derived from them, and the prospects for their use as biopesticides. In addition, the achievement of and the prospects for the use of biotechnology methods in relation to the allelopathy of woody plants are presented and discussed.

Tree legumes as feedstock for sustainable biofuel production: Opportunities and challenges

Concerns about future fossil fuel supplies and the environmental effects of their consumption have prompted the search for alternative sources of liquid fuels, specifically biofuels. However, it is important that the sources of such biofuel have minimal impact on global food supplies, land use, and commodity prices. Many legume trees can be grown on so-called marginal land with beneficial effects to the environment through their symbiotic interaction with "Rhizobia" and the associated process of root nodule development and biological nitrogen fixation. Once established legume trees can live for many years and some produce an annual yield of oil-rich seeds. For example, the tropical and sub-tropical legume tree Pongamia pinnata produces large seeds (∼1.5-2g) that contain about 40% oil, the quality and composition of which is regarded as highly desirable for sustainable biofuel production. Here we consider the benefits of legume trees as future energy crops, particularly in relation to their impact on nitrogen inputs and the net energy balance for biofuel production, and also ways in which these as yet fully domesticated species may be further improved for optimal use as biofuel feedstock.