In India, rice occupies the largest area among all crops and accounts for as much as 21 % of the total cropped area. Rice plants are prone to attack from many pests and pathogens. Among them coleopteran pests are well known for causing extensive damage. Sitophilus oryzae causes severe damage to rice seeds during storage. Alpha amylase inhibitor gene isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris seeds was introduced into Basmati rice (PB1) through Agrobacterium -mediated transformation. A total of 174 hygromycin-resistant plants were regenerated. Most of these plants were GUS-positive. PCR analysis and Southern hybridization confirmed the presence of 4.9 kb alpha amylase inhibitor gene in transformed plants. Western blot confirmed presence of alpha amylase inhibitor protein. Results of the bioassay study revealed significant reduction in survival rate of rice weevil, S. oryzae reared on transgenic rice seeds.
No comments:
Post a Comment