Poster: Molecular & Cellular Plant-Microbe Interactions: Biotechnology
703-P
Transgenic approaches for the genetic improvement of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata(L.)Walp) and soybean (Glycine max(L.) Merrill)
V. RAMACHANDRAN (1) (1) BHARAT UNIVERSITY, India
Herbicide-resistant transgenic improvement of Cotyledone explants excised from 3 day old in vitro of Vigna unguiculata and Glycine max were infected with Agrobacerium tumefaciens (LBA4404) harboring chitinase (chi II) and bar gene. Co- cultivated cotyledon explants were inoculated on MS medium containing B5 vitamins BA, TDZ, L-glutamine, adenine sulphate, basta and cefotaxime. Shoots formed at the proximal end of cotyledons were transferred to MS medium containing B5 vitamins, GA3,basta and cefotaxime for elongation. Elongated shoots rooted in hormone free half strenth MS medium. Rooted plants were subsequently established in soil. Transformed plants were conformed by herbicide resistance and PCR analysis.These ready systems enable us to improve seed qualities and agronomic characteristics by transgenic approaches. In addition, with the accumulation of cowpea and soybean genomic resources, convenient or promising approaches will be requisite for the determination and use of gene function in cowpea and soybean. In this article, we describe recent advances in and problems of cowpea and soybean transformation, and survey the current transgenic approaches for applied and basic research in India.