Abstracto

Effect of Age of Seeds on Rice Transformation with Drought Stress Inducible Transcription Factor Encoding Gene by Biolistic Method

Ibandalin M, Kishwar A and Aruna T*

Embryogenic calli produced in vitro from dehusked mature seeds of rice were bombarded with a gene construct containing a drought inducible transcription factor encoding gene named as AP2/ERF-N22, driven under inducible promoter RD29A using Biolistic method. The bombarded calluses were selected on hygromycin containing selection medium. The transformation efficiency was found to be nil, 0.97% and 3.11% for overstored seeds ≥ a year, ≤ a year and fresh seeds respectively. The survival rate of plants was 87%. About 90% of the plants reached maturity and showed no negative phenotypic effects or aberrations as observed earlier under a constitutive promoter from that of the wild type.