ARS | Publication request: TRANSFORMATION OF GUAYULE LEAF SECTIONS

Submitted to: Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 1, 2003
Publication Date: October 12, 2003
Citation: Dong, N., Cornish, K. 2003. Transformation of guayule leaf sections. Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference. p.26.

Technical Abstract: Guayule (Parthenium argentatum, Gray) is a new crop candidate for rubber industry. Transformation of guayule with genes may lead to new lines with improved rubber yields and agronomic traits. However, the existing transformation method using shoot nodes is technically difficult, time consuming and tedious and more rapid methods are desired. An earlier report of successful leaf disk transformation by this laboratory proved to be unreliable. We have developed a new, reproducible, method of guayule transformation using leaf sections as explants for guayule transformation. A BAR selective marker and an intron containing the GUS reporter gene have been introduced into the guayule. Transgenic guayule plants with this method show resistance to the herbicide glufosinate and positive GUS staining, and Southern blots confirmed the transformation. This new method should greatly speed the creation, development, field-testing and release of improved guayule lines.