Paulo Fernando Bertagnolli

Resistance to Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in transgenic soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill Fabales, Fabaceae) cultivar IAS5 expressing a modified Cry1Ac endotoxin

Somatic embryos of the commercial soybean (Glycine max) cultivar IAS5 were co-transformed using particle bombardment with a synthetic form of the Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin crystal protein gene cry1Ac, the β-glucuronidase reporter gene gusA and the hygromycin resistance gene hpt. Hygromycin-resistant tissues were proliferated individually to give rise to nine sets of clones corresponding to independent transformation events. The co-bombardment resulted in a co-transformation efficiency of 44%. Many histodifferentiated embryos and 30 well-developed plants were obtained. Twenty of these plants flowered and fourteen set seeds. The integration and expression of the cry1Ac, gusA and hpt transgenes into the genomes of a sample of transformed embryos and all T0, T1 ,T 2 and T3 plants were confirmed by Gus activity, PCR, Southern and western blot, and ELISA techniques. Two T0 plants out of the seven co-transformed plants produced seeds and were analyzed for patterns of integration and inheritance until the T3 generation. Bioassays indicated that the transgenic plants were highly toxic to the velvetbean caterpillar Anticarsia gemmatalis, thus offering a potential for effective insect resistance in soybean.

Expression of an osmotin-like protein from Solanum nigrum confers drought tolerance in transgenic soybean

BackgroundDrought is by far the most important environmental factor contributing to yield losses in crops, including soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. To address this problem, a gene that encodes an osmotin-like protein isolated from Solanum nigrum var. americanum (SnOLP) driven by the UBQ3 promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana was transferred into the soybean genome by particle bombardment.ResultsTwo independently transformed soybean lines expressing SnOLP were produced. Segregation analyses indicated single-locus insertions for both lines. qPCR analysis suggested a single insertion of SnOLP in the genomes of both transgenic lines, but one copy of the hpt gene was inserted in the first line and two in the second line. Transgenic plants exhibited no remarkable phenotypic alterations in the seven analyzed generations. When subjected to water deficit, transgenic plants performed better than the control ones. Leaf physiological measurements revealed that transgenic soybean plants maintained higher leaf water potential at predawn, higher net CO2 assimilation rate, higher stomatal conductance and higher transpiration rate than non-transgenic plants. Grain production and 100-grain weight were affected by water supply. Decrease in grain productivity and 100-grain weight were observed for both transgenic and non-transgenic plants under water deficit; however, it was more pronounced for non-transgenic plants. Moreover, transgenic lines showed significantly higher 100-grain weight than non-transgenic plants under water shortage.ConclusionsThis is the first report showing that expression of SnOLP in transgenic soybeans improved physiological responses and yield components of plants when subjected to water deficit, highlighting the potential of this gene for biotechnological applications.

Desempenho de cultivares de soja de diferentes ciclos em semeaduras de dezembro, na região do Planalto médio do Rio Grande do Sul

An experiment using five early cycle, eight medium cycle, and five semilate and late cycle soybean cultivars was conducted in Cruz Alta, in the growing seasons of 1994/95 up to 1997/98, and Passo Fundo, in 1994/95 and 1997/98, Planalto Medio region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to evaluate the behavior in seedings made between 10 and 30 December. An experimental design of complete randomized blocks with three replications was used. To avoid interference by plants of different cultivars, neighboring plots were kept 1.0m apart and also one row in each side of the plots was eliminated prior to harvest. Joint variation analysis for yield was made by splitting the cultivars in early cycle, medium cycle, semilate and late cycle cultivars, and between cycles. The same procedure was followed for the cultivar x environments interaction. Highly significant differences were obtained between environments and among cultivars. Nevertheless, no significant differences were found between cultivar cycles nor between cultivars x environments interaction. Likewise, no limitations related to plant architecture were observed. The results show that the soybean cultivars available currently have similar yield potential when sowed from December 10 to December 30, regardless of their cycle.