Ken-ichi Arisumi

Genetic transformation ofRhododendron byAgrobacterium tumefaciens

SummaryTransgenicRhododendron plants were obtained byAgrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer.A. tumefaciens harboring a binary vector that contained the chimeric neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) and (3-glucuronidase (GUS) genes was co-cultivated with stem and leaf segments fromRhododendron tissues culturedin vitro. Adventitious buds were fonned and shoots were regenerated on kanamycin selection medium 3-4 months after inoculation. Integration of the NPTII and the GUS genes was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by Southern hybridization analyses. Histochemical GUS assay showed that the inserted gene was expressed in all tissues with the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. This transformation procedure has the potential to expand the range of genetic variation inRhododendron.

Asexual propagation of variegated Lilium longiflorum ‘Chotaro’

Abstract Scale propagation of variegated Lilium longiflorum cultivar ‘Chotaro’ produced more than 93% of variegated plants from middle scales (MS), inner scales (IS) and innermost scales (IMS). Outer scales (OS) produced a lower percentage of variegated plants and a higher percentage of non-variegated (green) plants than the other scales. A total of 875 typical variegated plants was obtained from 620 scales detached from 10 parent bulbs. Parent bulbs, of which the basal plate was wounded with a nail, produced three times more daughter bulbs than the controls. All these daughter bulbs were variegated.