Abstract
The evaluation of transgenic plants which is usually carried out under controlled conditions in culture rooms and greenhouses can yield valuable information about the influence of introduced genes on a transgenic plant phenotype. However, an overall assessment of plant performance can only be made by testing transgenic plants in the field environment. Thus, the effects of pyramided rice cystatin genes OCI and OCII on morphological parameters of transgenic potato cv. Desiree, Dragacevka and Jelica lines were compared under in vitro, greenhouse, and field conditions. All analyzed OC co-expressing transgenic lines exhibited normal phenotype, both in vitro and in greenhouse conditions. In the field environment, eight of nine OCI/OCII lines were similar to the wild-type control plants in their general phenotypic appearance. Yield parameters, such as tuber number and tuber weight for these phenotypically normal OCI/OCII lines, were also comparable to the controls. Only transgenic cv. Jelica line 4 plants exhibited slightly reduced growth, atypical leaf morphology and, contrary to the plants of other transgenic lines and untransformed controls, failed to flower. However, despite the phenotypic and developmental changes under field conditions, the OCI/OCII Jelica line 4 did not exhibit a significant decrease in tuber yield. Stacking of OCI and OCII genes preserves important attributes of the parental lines, confirming that this approach could be suitable for improving agronomical traits in potato.
Highlights
Improvement of plant traits using a genetic transformation approach requires the recovery of transgenic lines with adequate heterologous gene expression while preserving the best genetic attributes of the parental line
The somaclonal variation inherent to in vitro plant culture or insertion mutagenesis that can occur during the plant transformation process itself can interfere with recovery of phenotypically normal transgenic plants (Conner, 2007; Barrell and Conner, 2011)
Minimizing the appearance of unintended atypical plants upon genetic transformation is vital for the improvement of agricultural performance of potato plants
Summary
Improvement of plant traits using a genetic transformation approach requires the recovery of transgenic lines with adequate heterologous gene expression while preserving the best genetic attributes of the parental line. We compare the phenotypic and developmental effects of heterologous gene expression in transgenic potatoes, Solanum tuberosum cultivars Desiree, Dragačevka and Jelica grown in vitro, and under greenhouse and field conditions.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
