Introduction of a rice blight resistance gene, Xa21, into five Chinese rice varieties through an Agrobacterium-mediated system

A cloned gene, Xa21 was transferred into five widely-used Chinese rice varieties through an Agrobacterium-mediated system, and over 110 independent transgenic lines were obtained. PCR and Southern analysis of transgenic plants revealed the integration of the whole Xa21 gene into the host genomes. The integrated Xa21 gene was stably inherited, and segregated in a 3∶1 ratio in the selfed T1 generation when one copy of the gene was integrated in the transformants. Inoculation tests displayed that transgenic T0 plants and Xa21 PCR-positive T1 plants were highly resistant to bacterial blight disease. The selected Xa21 homozygous resistant transgenic lines with desirable qualities may be propagated as new varieties or utilized in hybrid rice breeding.