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Title: IN VITRO CULTURE OF KENAF FOR TRANSFORMATION

Author
item SMITH, ROBERTA - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item SRIVANTANAKUL, METINEE - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item SIJ, JOHN - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item Webber Iii, Charles

Submitted to: Kenaf Association International Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A major restraint for commercial production of kenaf is one of weed competition during early establishment of the crop. An approach to solving this constraint is the development of herbicide resistant kenaf using the new technologies of genetic engineering. Herbicide resistant genes are available, and there has been success in production of herbicide resistant cotton and other important crop plants. The first priority in development of herbicide resistant kenaf is to develop a cell culture system for kenaf which is rapid, genotype independent, and results in rooted plants at a high frequency. This coupled with using Agrobacterium tumefaciens as the gene vector would give a practical system for transformation of kenaf. Seedlings from aseptically-germinated seeds from cultivars Everglades 71, Tainung 1, and Tainung 2 were established in culture by surface sterilizing the seeds in 20% Chlorox for 20 minutes and germinating on a Murashige and Skoog inorganic salt medium. Contamination was minimal in all three cultivars. Shoot apices were isolated at three to five days and cultured on a Murashinge and Skoog inorganic salt medium with vitamins, inositol, and 30% sucrose. Cultures were incubated under light/dark culture conditions at room temperature. Shoot apex cultures rapidly elongated and formed roots in vitro. Some shoots rooted within seven days in culture. Cell culture transformation studies require the use of selectable markers in the plasmid constructs. The constructs to be used in these studies contain selectable markers for herbicide resistance and antibiotic resistance. The results of shoot survival and growth on selective medium containing glufosinate-ammonium and hydromycin, and antibiotic, will be presented.