International Business Times
By Kathleen Caulderwood
A biotech company has invented a new hybrid tree that grows at record speed on barren land, and can be used to create clean energy. They’ve already set up a project in southern India, and now they’re taking on Morocco. Anagenesis Trees Corporation is planning to plant more than 50,000 acres of their patented Trifolia trees in Morocco within a few years. The trees will be used to produce clean energy and be a lucrative source of income for local communities. “It’s a very interesting concept,” said Talal Belrhiti, an international business consultant in Casablanca who is working with the company. “It’s great for the environment, it’s pretty and it’s a way to make good money as well,” said Belrhiti. The trees themselves took 17 years to engineer. Using an especially hardy species originating in China and Southeast Asia, scientists developed a new hybrid for strength, climate tolerance and a low requirement for water. “The best performers in each category were selected and then cuttings were taken from each sample and were reproduced in the laboratory via tissue cultures,” reads a report from the company. In 2009 Anagenesis patented their Trifolia tree. One of the most important aspects is how fast they grow. Their distinctive three-leafed rows take in more sunlight and nutrients than ordinary trees, which helps them reach seven meters in just a year. “Within four or five years you can have a full-fledged forest,” said Belrhiti.
