Altered Morphology of Brassica rapa following Electroporation in the Presence of Foreign DNA

Abstract

The lengthy generation times associated with woody ornamentals has led to the exploration of alternatives to traditional breeding methods for the development of new cultivars. This report summarizes the results of experiments designed to examine the feasibility of altering plant morphology by DNA assimilation following electroporation of intact seedlings. Brassica rapa (a nonwoody plant) was chosen as a model plant for initial experiments due to its rapid development and short generation time. Seedlings were subjected to either one or five 300-V pulses (99 ms) in the presence or absence of foreign DNA. Foreign DNA used was Ulmus parvarvifolia at a concentration of 200 μg·mL–1. Results indicate a lower survival rate of seedlings electoporated in the presence of DNA. Data were recorded after 21 days for plant height and leaf number. No significant differences were noted for plant height. However, significantly more leaves were produced on plants electroporated (five pulses) in the presence of foreign DNA. These results suggest the possible utilization of this technique for induction of variation in other plants.