American chestnut could make a comeback thanks to Alabama research

Huntsville’s HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is teaming up with The American Chestnut Foundation to demonstrats that chestnut breeding–guided by genetic information–can dramatically accelerate restoration efforts of the American Chestnut, while preserving the traits that made the tree an essential part of Appalachian forests.

Sound complicated? Here’s what to know:

Bringing back the American chestnut

Essentially, HudsonAlpha and TACF are breeding chestnut trees that can withstand blight, and this is none by breeding an Asian chestnut with an American chestnut.

HudsonAlpha scientists built three of the first and most complete chestnut genome assemblies ever. Led by Faculty Investigator Jeremy Schmutz and Research Faculty Investigator John Lovell, PhD, the team mapped the species’ DNA, creating reference blueprints that helped reveal how resistance works at the molecular level.

“By assembling high-quality genomes for both American and Chinese chestnuts from the TACF breeding program, we’ve begun to untangle the complex genetic architecture of blight resistance.

These reference genomes now serve as a foundation for pinpointing the specific genes tied to important traits, not only improving TACF’s breeding efforts but also enhancing our understanding of tree resilience more broadly.”

John Lovell, PhD, Research Faculty Investigator for HudsonAlpha

Using genome sequencing data from thousands of hybrid trees in TACF’s breeding program, researchers demonstrated that genomic selection can accurately predict which seedlings will show resistance to blight.

This breakthrough means that instead of waiting for years for trees to grow and undergo infection trials, scientists can screen for the right genetic combinations early, dramatically speeding up the breeding cycle.

“With genome-enabled breeding, we expect the next generation of trees to have roughly twice the average blight resistance of our current population, with about 75 percent American chestnut ancestry. These trees are expected to begin producing large quantities of seed for restoration within the next decade.”

Dr. Jared Westbrook, TACF’s director of science

The researchers emphasize that rebuilding the American chestnut isn’t a one-time fix. It’s an ongoing process of gradual improvement, selecting the best trees in each generation until forests once again contain thriving, tall-growing chestnuts that can stand up to blight and other foes.

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