EFFICIENT TRANSFORMATION AND REGENERATION OF CARNATION CULTIVARS USING AGROBACTERIUM

We have developed an efficient method for transformation and regeneration of plants from carnation, Dianthus caryophyllus L. Whole leaves from in vitro shoot cultures were mixed with Agrobacterium, cocultivated for 5 days and then plated on 2 mu g/l chlorsulfuron (CS). Regenerated shoots and shoot clusters were divided into smaller sections and plated on 3 mu g/l CS for selection to produce fully transformed shoots. Geneticin (G418) and kanamycin used were not as effective selective agents as CS. All regenerated shoots were vitrified. These were normalized, rooted and transferred to the greenhouse. 100% of regenerated plants were transformed based on rooting assay, GUS assay, PCR and Southern analysis.