New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Flower pattern stability in genetically modified lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) under commercial growing conditions

J. MARIE BRADLEY^*
S. RAY RAINS
JAN L. MANSON
KEVIN M. DAVIES⁺

New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
 Research Limited
Private Bag 11 600
Palmerston North, New Zealand
email: daviesk@crop.cri.nz

^*Present address: Foundation for Research, Science  and Technology, P. O. Box 12 240, Wellington,  New Zealand.

Abstract  Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum Grise.) with novel flower colour patterns have been generated by genetic modification techniques that alter flavonoid biosynthesis. As described previously, the level and pattern of pigmentation in purple-flowered lisianthus cultivars was altered by the introduction of a lisianthus chalcone synthase (CHS) cDNA in an antisense orientation. As the next step towards commercial development of these new cultivars, the consistency of altered flower patterns in the progeny and the performance of these lines under conditions resembling those used by commercial lisianthus growers in New Zealand have now been assessed. The introduced antisense CHS transgene had no apparent effect on germination rates or plant survival. Altered flower patterns observed in the progeny correlated with the inheritance of the transgenes, as measured by kanamycin resistance and reduction in CHS expression. At least two of the lines showed sufficient consistency in flower pattern to warrant continued development. Additionally, no transfer of the introduced DNA between transgenic and neighbouring non-transformed lisianthus was observed during this trial.

Keywords  chalcone synthase; flavonoids; field trial; flower colour; genetic modification; lisianthus; Eustoma

H99048
Received 2 December 1999; accepted 14 June 2000

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (2090K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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