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To develop salt tolerant rice, the P5CS gene of Vigna aconitifolia, encoding for proline synthesis, was introduced into the popular indica rice cultivar ADT 43. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 harboring the binary vector pCAMBIA 1301/P5CS, carrying the proline synthesis encoding gene P5CS, was co-cultivated with embryogenic callus of rice. Adding 100 lM acetosyringone to the Linsmaier and Skoog (LS) liquid and solid co-culture medium, along with 30 mg/l hygromycin and 250 mg/l timentin, contributed to significantly higher efficiency of transformation. Southern blot analysis of T 1 independent transformants revealed that the copy number of transgene varied between one and three. When transgenic plants were subjected to salt stress, these plants grew well in the presence of up to 200 mM NaCl, while control plants died within 10 days under these treatment conditions. These transgenic plants grew under salt stress for a period of 4 weeks, and were capable of flowering and set seed. T 1 plants segregated into 3:1 ratio suggesting Mendelian segregation pattern of inheritance of the P5CS transgene.

The aim of the study is to establish a routine procedure for high frequency plant regeneration from in vitro raised embryogenic callus of abiotic salt sensitive indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar ADT 43. The effect of synthetic auxin 2,4-D on callus induction was optimized to achieve high frequency plant regeneration from fresh embryogenic callus without further subculture. Friable, nodular and creamish-white embryogenic callus cultures were raised from mature rice seeds on LS medium supplemented with 2.5 mg L -1 2,4-D and 1.0 mg L -1 thiamine-HCL. Plant regeneration was achieved by the 24 days old embryogenic callus on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L -1 BAP and 1.5 mg L -1 NAA. In vitro regenerated plants with multiple tillers and roots were transferred to sterile soil and maintained in the growth chamber. The regenerated plants exhibited normal growth and were phenotypically similar to plants maintained in the garden. Using the present protocol, 25-30 plantlets were regenerated from 50 individual mature seed derived callus within two to three months. This protocol has the potential for large-scale production of elite plants after genetic transformation.

BackgroundCamellia sinensis var. sinensis is widely grown for tea beverages that possess significant health promoting effects. Studies on tea plant genetics and breeding are hindered due to its recalcitrance to Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Among the possible reasons, oxidation of phenolics released from explant tissues and bactericidal effects of tea polyphenols during the process of transformation play a role in the plant recalcitrance. The aim of the present study was to alleviate the harmful effects of phenolic compounds using in-planta transformation.ResultsTwo-month old seedlings of tea cultivar “Nong Kangzao” were infected at the hypocotyl with wild type Agrobacterium rhizogenes and maintained in an environment of high humidity. 88.3% of infected plants developed hairy roots at the wounded site after 2 months of infection. Our data indicated that transgenic hairy root induction of tea can be achieved using A. rhizogenes following the optimized protocol.ConclusionWith this method, composite tea plants containing wild-type shoots with transgenic roots can be generated for “in root” gene functional characterization and root-shoot interaction studies. Moreover, this method can be applied to improve the root system of composite tea plants for a better resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses.

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