Technology for deciphering gingko tree gender wins Chinese patent

Technology for deciphering the gender of gingko trees, which Korea is the only country in the world to possess, has received patent in China. The Korea Forest Research Institute said on Monday that its technology designed for deciphering the gender of gingko trees by analyzing DNA from gingko tree leaves has been registered through the Chinese Patent Office. China does not have such technology despite being a country with the largest gingko tree population in the world.

The gingko tree is known to be good for human health, and the tree in itself has strong efficacy in cleaning air as well. Since the tree is also highly resistant to germs and infections, it is an ideal choice as street trees. However, when fruits on female trees fall off in autumn, they spawn bad smell, causing inconveniences to pedestrians. In Korea where 39 percent of all street trees are gingko trees, bad smell is one of major problems with the plant. In the U.S., they treat gingko trees with chemicals early in the spring, inducing fruits to fall before ripening.

The technique for deciphering male and female gingko trees developed by the Korean forest institute is designed to determine male and female trees when they are seedlings aged one year old through a gender analysis method by extracting DNAs from male and female trees. Previously, it was not possible to decipher male and female trees until they grow for about 20 years. If genders are deciphered early on, male trees can be used as street trees while females can be cultivated for fruit production. Since the technology was commercialized in 2012, Korea has replaced 1,121 female gingko trees on the street with male trees in eight major cities including Seoul and Daegu.

“The successful patent registration in China is significant in that Korea has gained the upper hand in technology for deciphering the gender of gingko trees ahead of China, the origin of the tree," said Lee Je-won, a researcher at the forestry genetics division of the institute. “Korea is expected to increase competitiveness of gingko tree-related industries.”

baek@donga.com