Agrobacterium as a tool for gene transfer in woody species: The state of the art and practical perspectives. A review

Abstract

The Agrobacterium-mediated ability to transfer genes into organisms without sexual crossing provides breeders with new opportunities to improve the efficiency of plant production. Gene transfer offers advantages over classical genetic manipulation since plants are improved without disruption of the integrity of their genomes. Several useful genes isolated from microrganisms and affecting pest resistance, rooting ability, hormonal metabolism etc., are now available. These genes can be easily cloned into suitable Ti and Ri derived plasmid vectors and transferred into woody species. The scarce ability of most fruit trees to regenerate the whole plant from in vitro-cultured cells remains the main obstacle to a wider use of gene transfer technology.