Articles
CHARACTERIZATION OF TRANSGENIC PEACH PLANTS CONTAINING A CYTOKININ BIOSYNTHESIS GENE
Article number
447_110
Pages
569 – 574
Language
Abstract
Transgenic peach plants containing a cytokinin biosynthesis (ipt) gene and elevated levels of cytokinins were evaluated in vitro and in the greenhouse for altered growth habit.
Plants propagated in vitro from the original transformants were grown on four different levels of 6-benzyladenine (BA). After nine weeks in vitro, the average number of axillary shoots per plant for two independent transformants, 99–1 and 40–1, were up to 2.6 times that for the controls on 0–30 μM of BA, whereas average fresh weights were up to 10 times that for the controls.
Tolerance to a supra-optimal (30 μM) concentration of BA and delay of senescence on 0 μM BA was observed with at least 50% of 99–1 and 40–1 plants.
Another independent transformant, 94–1, performed similarly to controls.
Under greenhouse conditions, the average height of rooted plants derived through micropropagation from the original transformants ranged from 72-89% of controls at 6 weeks and 56–90% of controls at 1 year.
Amount of branching on 94–1 and 99–1 was similar to controls, whereas that for 40–1 was 1.58 times that of the control when scored at 1 year.
PCR analyses indicated that 56% of the 99–1 plants and 44% of the 40–1 plants, derived from the original transformants, contained the ipt gene.
These results suggest that cytokinin biosynthesis gene alters the growth habit of peach and may be useful in generating compact peach trees.
Plants propagated in vitro from the original transformants were grown on four different levels of 6-benzyladenine (BA). After nine weeks in vitro, the average number of axillary shoots per plant for two independent transformants, 99–1 and 40–1, were up to 2.6 times that for the controls on 0–30 μM of BA, whereas average fresh weights were up to 10 times that for the controls.
Tolerance to a supra-optimal (30 μM) concentration of BA and delay of senescence on 0 μM BA was observed with at least 50% of 99–1 and 40–1 plants.
Another independent transformant, 94–1, performed similarly to controls.
Under greenhouse conditions, the average height of rooted plants derived through micropropagation from the original transformants ranged from 72-89% of controls at 6 weeks and 56–90% of controls at 1 year.
Amount of branching on 94–1 and 99–1 was similar to controls, whereas that for 40–1 was 1.58 times that of the control when scored at 1 year.
PCR analyses indicated that 56% of the 99–1 plants and 44% of the 40–1 plants, derived from the original transformants, contained the ipt gene.
These results suggest that cytokinin biosynthesis gene alters the growth habit of peach and may be useful in generating compact peach trees.
Authors
F.A. Hammerschlag, I.J. McCanna, A.C. Smigocki
Keywords
Agrobacterium tumefaciens, growth habit, Prunus persica, transformation
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