Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of creeping bentgrass using GFP as a reporter gene

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) is a cool season grass widely used on putting greens in golf courses. Transformation of creeping bentgrass has been conducted using microprojectile bombardment and protoplast electroporation. The objective of our study is to develop an alternative and more efficient approach in transforming the grass using Agrobacterium (strain EHA 101). This technique was effective in transforming 40-day old calli derived from mature seeds cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D, kinetin, and sucrose. Dozens of transgenic plants have been produced from two independent transformed calli. Presence of functional green fluorescence protein (GFP) was detected in leaves, stems, and roots of transgenic seedlings. Four putative transgenic plants and two control plants were randomly chosen and analyzed by Southern blot analysis. Bands corresponding to the GFP gene were clearly shown in transgenic plants. These results indicated that Agrobacterium transformation can successfully be applied to creeping bentgrass.