Scarabaeid Larvae- and Herbicide-Resistant Transgenic Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) Obtaine

Insect pest and weeds are two major problems for forage and turf grasses. In this study, scarab larvae- and herbicide-resistant transgenic perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was obtained by transforming it with cry and bar genes simultaneously via the Agrobacterium-mediated method. To optimize the callus induction and plant regeneration conditions, various concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 6-benzylaminopurine were assayed. The transformation efficiencies of different Agrobacterium suspension media, used during Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, were compared. Then, plasmids of pCAMBIA3301 containing cry gene (cry8Ca2 or cry8Ga) and bar gene, driven by ubiquitin promoter, were transformed into perennial ryegrass. The transformants were generated and confirmed by both Southern hybridization analysis and Western hybridization analysis. Further, the resistance of transgenic perennial ryegrass plants to scarab larvae and herbicide were analyzed. After 30 d of co-cultivation with scarab l...