Loblolly pine - Photo by Benjamin D. Bartlett

In 2004, a group of scientists lead by Daniel G. Peterson of the Mississippi Genome Exploration Laboratory (MGEL - Mississippi State University) were awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) to generate important molecular and cytogenetic resources for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and utilize these resources to provide insight into the structure and evolution of the pine genome. The resulting multi-institutional endeavor, DBI-0421717, has come to be known as the Accelerating Pine Genomics project or APG for short.  The information generated in APG studies and the molecular resources themselves are providing the foundation for physical mapping and sequencing of the pine genome.  Such molecular genetic information is critical if we are to protect pines and other forest trees from introduced pests and pathogens and develop of plantation pines for renewable raw material/energy production.