XVI International Botanical Congess

A routine and reliable plant regeneration system has been established for different monocot forage species: tall fescue, tall wheatgrass and Russian wildrye. The system is based on genotype screening for the induction of embryogenic callus and the subsequent establishment of embryogenic suspension cultures. Large number of plants has been regenerated from suspension cultures of these outcrossing recalcitrant species. The suspension cells are being used as direct targets for biolistic- as well as Agrobacterium-mediated transformation for the production of transgenic plants. Relevant transformation parameters were optimized using transient assays of a gusA gene construct. A chimeric hph gene was used as selectable marker for stable transformation. Green plants have been regenerated from hygromycin resistant calli.