The poplar tree is common throughout Europe. Foresters like it
because it is fast growing. As a crop, however, it has a
drawback in that the properties of its fibres are not quite
ideal for the biggest potential market - pulp for paper
products. As a result, Europe imports large amounts of
eucalyptus, which fits the bill perfectly. Researchers in
France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom think they may
have the answer. Using genetic manipulation techniques, they
have produced poplar hybrids that offer the promise of much
improved properties for the pulp producers. The researchers have
set out on the path of commercialising their results, selecting
the genes that they believe will give the best results and
testing the properties of the resulting hybrid trees. Trees of
the populus genus - poplars to you and me - grow freely
throughout the Northern hemisphere. Arabidopsis, on the other
hand, is a small flowering plant that is widely used as a model
organism in plant biology. It is a member of the mustard (B