Poster: Late and Moved Abstracts

Abs # 1385: Functional Genomics of Fibre Production in Industrial Hemp (Cannibis sativa)

Presenter:	Vidmar, John J, vidmar@arc.ab.ca
Authors	Vidmar, John J (A)   Jo Ann, Collins  (B)   Deyholos, Michael K (B)
Affiliations:	(A): Plant Biotechnology, Alberta Research Council (B): Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta

The world wood supply from forests is limited, and the global demand for wood products is increasing rapidly. Enhanced forest management practices can only partially address the impending shortage. New alternative fibre sources must be identified that are reliable, high quality, low cost and ecologically sustainable. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a promising alternative crop. Pulps produced from these agrifibres can impart unique and desirable properties to paper, including improved strength and printing surface qualities. Hemp is also a valuable fibre source for other applications including textiles and the emerging bio-composite industry. To fully exploit the industrial potential of this crop, we are studying the genetic mechanisms that control fibre quality in hemp. The first step to manipulating the relative quantity of different types of fibres, as well as the length, strength, uniformity, and lignin, pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose levels is to identify the genes related to each of these traits in hemp. To accomplish this, we are currently undertaking a gene discovery program. The goal of the gene discovery program is to isolate cDNAs from developing fibres of industrial hemp and characterize their expression patterns using microarrays. We will present the experimental approach and initial results from this project.