Vegetos

Abstract

Agrobacterium-mediated genetic trans-formation is one of the most efficient and widely used method for plant transformation. In this study three types of β-lactam antibiotics (ticarcillin, cefotaxime and carbenicillin) individu-ally and in different concentrations and combi-nations, were used to suppress post co-cultivation growth of Agrobacterium tumefa-ciens (strain EHA105, harboring binary vector PBI 121) during plant transformation. High concen-tration of antibiotics used for eliminating Agro-bacterium has negative effect on callus growth, plant regeneration and embryo germination. Therefore the optimal concentration of antibi-oticthat efficiently prevents growth of Agrobac-terium without impairing the above parameters needs to be identified. Different concentrations of ticarcillin, cefotaxime, and carbenicillin (50–250 mg/l) individually and in combination (25–100 mg/l) were added to callusing, regeneration and germination media. Individual antibiotics at 200 mg/l and in combination at 50 mg/l and above were effective for control of agrobacte-rium. In the medium containing combination of ticarcillin, cefotaxime and carbenicillin (50 mg/l each), relative callus weight gain (21.73 mg), percentage plant regeneration (80%) and percentage germination rate (66.12%) was high-er than media containing otherwise effective doses of single antibiotic (200 and 250 mg/l) or combinations of three antibiotics at the rate of 75 mg/l and 100 mg/l of each.