IN VITRO REGENERATION OF AVOCADO (PERSEA AMERICANA, MILL.) AND TRANSIENT GENE EXPRESSION

Efficient in vitro regeneration systems for avocado (Persea americana Mill.) were developed by consecutive culture using three different types of growth media.
With embryonic tissue explants, 1.0 mg 1^-1 BAP in MMS gave the highest number of multiple adventitious shoots.
From a single piece of embryonic tissue, an average of ten adventitious multiple shoots were obtained with shoot multiplication medium.
WPM supplemented with 1.0 mg 1^-1 IBA and 10^-4M putrescine plus 0.2% activated charcoal was found to be optimal for root development in avocado.
Gene transfer into avocado cells was observed using wild strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, namely Ach5 and C58, and six different disarmed vectors, namely AGL1/pBI121, AGL1/pCGP904, GV3850/pBI121, GV3850/pCGP904, LBA4404/pBI121 and LBA4404/pCGP90. Among them, wild strain C58 and disarmed vector GV3850/pBI121 were found more effective when the pH of the co-cultivation medium was 5.2 and the medium contained 200mM acetosyringone.
Tumour formation and X-gluc assays confirmed the successful transfer of genes into avocado cells.

International Symposium on Biotechnology of Tropical and Subtropical Species Part 2

M.F. Ahmed, A.S. Kantharajah, P. Holford

Avocado, Persea americana, in vitro, regeneration, Agrobacterium, gene expression

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1998.461.38