Transformation of passionfruit (Passiflora edulis fv flavicarpa Degener.) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Leaf and stem explants of passionfruit (Passiflora eadulis fv flavicarpa) were co-cultivated with a disarmed strain of Agrobacterium tunefaciens harbouring the co-integrate vector pMON200. Four plants of passionfruit were regenerated from leaf explants on agar-solidified Murashige and Skoog (1962) based medium containing 4.43 μM 6-benzyl-aminopurine and supplemented with 86 μM kanamycin sulphate. The four plants were rooted by transfer to MS based medium with 14.7 μM 3-indolebutyric acid and 2.68 μM α-naphthyleneacetic acid for 7 d, followed by MS based medium lacking growth regulators. Both media used for rooting contained 172 μM kanamycin sulphate. Rooted plants were potted and grown to maturity. Three of the plants synthesised nopaline and expressed neomycin phosphotransferase activity; DNA dot blot and polymerase chain reaction analyses confirmed the presence of the neomycin phosphotransferase gene in three plants.