The genetic transformation of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) for enhanced resistance to citrus canker

SENDÍN, LORENA; FILIPPONE, PAULA

Methods in Molecular Biology

springer

Año: 2019; p. 179 - 190

Developing disease resistance is one of most important components of any plant breeding program. Citrus traditional breeding methods (bud sports selection, cross and other breeding channels) are a laborious task, and often hampered by long juvenility, a high degree of heterozygosity, polyembryony, self-incompatibility and abortion of reproductive organs. An interesting alternative to the classical breeding approach is the use of genetic transformation, which provides the means for adding a single agronomic trait to a plant without otherwise altering its phenotype. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation has been carried out with numerous hybrids and citrus species. This technique allowed us to introduce the Bs2 gene in Citrus, as well as to increase citrus canker resistance in transgenic Bs2 gene expressing lines.