Effective Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation System for Eureka Lemon Using Whole Cotyledonary Node

Area of Science:

• Plant Biotechnology
• Genetics
• Horticulture

Background:

• Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is crucial for citrus genetic modification.
• Epicotyl explants in lemons suffer from severe browning, limiting transformation efficiency.
• A need exists for improved explant sources for lemon genetic engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optimized Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for 'Eureka' lemon.
• To address the challenge of tissue browning in lemon explants.
• To enhance the efficiency of generating transgenic lemon plantlets.

Main Methods:

• Utilized whole cotyledonary node explants from 'Eureka' lemon (Citrus limon).
• Optimized Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocols.
• Evaluated tissue browning and transformation efficiency.

Main Results:

• Significantly reduced tissue browning in explants.
• Achieved a transformation efficiency of up to 14.48%.
• Demonstrated a simple and rapid preparation method for cotyledonary nodes.

Conclusions:

• The developed system using whole cotyledonary nodes is highly efficient for lemon transformation.
• This method provides a novel and practical explant source for citrus genetic engineering.
• Facilitated efficient generation of transgenic lemon plantlets.