Transgenic insect-resistant maintainer line (IR68899B) for improvement of hybrid rice

Heterosis has helped to increase rice yield in F₁ hybrids by 15–20% beyond the level of inbred semidwarf varieties. For stable yield performance rice hybrids must also possess genetic resistance to biotic stresses. One of these, stem borer, reduces the expected yield of hybrid rice. The truncated synthetic cryIA(b) gene from Bacillus thuringiensis is known to be effective in controlling stem borer. The development of transformation techniques has provided the technology for incorporating this bacterial gene into the rice genome, which has not been possible by conventional breeding methods. We have introduced a new approach of using a transgenic maintainer line for developing an insect-resistant hybrid rice. An elite IRRI maintainer line (IR68899B) has been transformed with the cryIA(b) gene driven by the 35S constitutive promoter using the biolistic method. The integration and expression of the cryIA(b) gene could be demonstrated through Southern and Western blot analyses that have been carried out so far up to the T₂ generations. Insect bioassay data showed an enhanced resistance to yellow stem borer in the Bt ⁺ transgenic plants. This is the first report of the development of a transgenic maintainer line for use in hybrid rice improvement. Received: 17 December 1997 / Revision received: 23 June 1998 / Accepted: 25 September 1998