Genetic transformation of commercial cultivars of oat (Avena sativa L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) using in vitro shoot meristematic cultures derived from germinated seedlings

Genetic transformation using shoot meristematic cultures (SMCs) derived from germinated seedlings is established in commercial varieties of oat cv 'Garry' and barley cv 'Harrington'. Six-month-old SMCs of oat were induced on MPM and bombarded with bar and uidA; 9-month-old SMCs of barley were induced on an improved medium (MPM-MC) containing maltose and high levels of copper and bombarded with bar/nptII and uidA. After 3-4 months on selection, seven independent transgenic lines of oat were obtained, two lines of barley. All transgenic lines produced T-0 plants; five lines of oat and one line of barley were self-fertile, and the other barley line produced T-1 seed when out-crossed. Both Mendelian and non-Mendelian segregation ratios of transgene expression were observed in T-1 and T-2 progeny of transgenic oat. Normal as well as low physical transmission of the transgenes was also seen in T-1 and T-2 progeny of oat. The bar-containing line of barley showed stable transgene expression in all of the T-1 and T-2 progeny tested.