Genotype-independent leaf disc transformation of potato (Solanum tuberosum) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Leaves of the in vitro grown potato cultivars 'Bintje', 'Berolina', 'Desiree', and 'Russet Burbank' were wounded and co-cultivated with Agrobacterium strains having chimeric bar and nptII genes on a disarmed T-DNA. Each leaf from these cultivars formed numerous calli on kanamycin-containing medium, and almost all calli regenerated shoots. For 'Russet Burbank', it was necessary to include AgNO3 in the medium to obtain efficient shoot regeneration. The transformed plants have one to a few copies of the T-DNA, show NPT-II and PAT activities, and are resistant to high doses of the commercial preparation of phospinotricin (glufosinate). Almost no somaclonal variation was detected in trans-genic plants.