PINEAPPLE GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOR RESISTANCE TO PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES

Authors: SIPES, B - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; NAGAI, C - HARC; MCPHERSON, M - UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS; ATKINSON, H - UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS; CHRISTOPHER, D - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; HU, J - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; PAULL, R - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; ROHRBACH, K - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; Moore, Paul; ODA, C - DEL MONTE HAWAII; WOOD, P - MAUI LAND & PINE; CONWAY, M - DOLE FOODS HAWAII

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2002
Publication Date: 6/20/2002
Citation: 92(6):S76. 2002.

Interpretive Summary: (Abstract Only)

Technical Abstract: Pineapple plants transformed to express a systatin protease inhibitor were compared to wild type pineapple plants for growth and reproduction of reniform nematode. Twenty transgenic and 20 wild type plants were removed from tissue culture, rinsed free of media, weighed, and transplanted into sterile soil. Fifteen plants of each type were inoculated with 500 eggs of reniform nematode, while the remaining five plants were not. Six months later, the plants were harvested, root and shoot weight recorded, and nematode eggs extracted from the roots. Uninoculated wild type plants grew an average of 1152% over the 6 months. Uninoculated transformed plants grew 990% which was not different from the wild type plants (P>0.1). Nematode infection reduced plant growth in both the wild type and transformed pineapple plants 1012% and 809%, respectively. The transformed pinapple has les nematode reproduction than occurred on the wild type plants (P<0.05). An average of 11,593 eggs/plant were recovered from the transformed plants and 15,221 eggs/plant from the wild type pineapple. The range of nematode reproduction per plant was greater on the transformed plants than on the wild type plants suggesting chimeraism within the transformed pineapple plants. The transformation did not produce visible off phenotypes but seems to have adversely affected plant growth rate.