Effects of gelling agents on in vitro regeneration and kanamycin efficiency as a selective agent in plant transformation procedures

Successful plant transformation requires effective regeneration and selection systems. The regeneration of tulip scape segments, gladiolus cormel slices, and tobacco leaf pieces were compared on media solidified with different gelling agents and with kanamycin at various concentrations. Increasing concentration of kanamycin generally resulted in full or partial inhibition of regeneration. However, regeneration was observed with one of the gelling agents, a κ-carrageenan, and 200 mg l⁻¹ kanamycin in the medium. With other gelling agents, 50% of this concentration was generally sufficient to totally inhibit regeneration. Therefore, the choice of the gelling agent is critical when establishing a plant transformation procedure. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.