| Summary: | The central floral development gene <i>LEAFY</i> (<i>LFY)</i>, whose mutation leads to striking changes in flowering and often sterility, is commonly expressed in non-floral structures; however, its role in vegetative development is poorly understood. Sterility associated with suppression of <i>LFY</i> expression is an attractive means for mitigating gene flow by both seeds and pollen in vegetatively propagated forest trees, but the consequences of its suppression for tree form and wood production are unclear. To study the vegetative effects of RNAi suppression of <i>LFY</i>, we created a randomized, multiple-year field study with 30–40 trees (ramets) in each of two sterile gene insertion events, three transgenic control events, and a wild-type control population. We found that floral knock-down phenotypes were stable across years and propagation cycles, but that several leaf morphology and productivity traits were statistically and often substantially different in sterile vs. normal flowering RNAi-<i>LFY</i> trees. Though trees with suppressed <i>LEAFY</i> expression looked visibly normal, they appear to have reduced growth and altered leaf traits. <i>LFY</i> appears to have a significant role in vegetative meristem development, and evaluation of vegetative impacts from <i>LFY</i> suppression would be prudent prior to large-scale use for genetic containment.
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