Transgenic elite Indica rice varieties, resistant to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

The agronomically important Indica (group 1) rice varieties IR64, IR72, hybrid restorer line Minghui 63, and BG90-2 were co-transformed by microbombardment of embryogenic suspensions with plasmids that contain the Xa21 gene which confers resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and the hph gene for resistance to hygromycin B. Six of the 55 transgenic R0 plant lines containing the Xa21 gene displayed high levels of resistance to the pathogen, and no partial resistance was observed. The trait was stably inherited in subsequent generations, and transgenic plants are currently in field tests. The ability to transfer agronomically important genes into elite Indica rice varieties demonstrates the applicability of genetic engineering for the agronomic improvement of rice.