ABSTRACT
The ability to "transform" cotton by the introduction of foreign genes into its genome has initiated a slow revolution in cotton improvement. The opportunity to use genes from virtually any source allows researchers to develop plants with a wide range of useful traits. One limiting factor in the application of this technology is the relative difficulty and expense of the most widely used transformation systems. Several research groups are working to develop more tractable transformation protocols. We have attempted to adapt a procedure that is widely used for transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana for use with cotton. This method involves that direct infiltration of Agrobacterium cells into developing flowers. Using this method, we have obtained several putatively transformed cotton plants that are resistant to the herbicide BastaTM. Preliminary molecular analysis indicates that these plants contain the foreign gene construct. Offspring from these plants also contain the foreign DNA and are herbicide resistant. Though not conclusive, these results indicate that, with further development, the direct flower infiltration transformation method could be a valuable tool for genetic engineering of cotton.
|