Skip to main content

Transgenesis in Forage Crops

  • Conference paper
Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf

Abstract

We have established genetic transformation systems for a number of important forage species including tall fescue, switchgrass, bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, alfalfa, white clover and Medicago truncatula. The target agronomic traits are forage quality, drought tolerance and phosphate uptake. This chapter summarizes our efforts in improving major forage grasses and legumes by transgenic approaches.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Chen L, Auh C, Chen F, Cheng XF, Aljoe H, Dixon RA, Wang Z-Y (2002) Lignin deposition and associated changes in anatomy, enzyme activity, gene expression and ruminal degradability in stems of tall fescue at different developmental stages. J Agric Food Chem 50: 5558–5565

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Auh C, Dowling P, Bell J, Chen F, Hopkins A, Dixon RA, Wang Z-Y (2003) Improved forage digestibility of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) by transgenic down-regulation of cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase Plant Biotechnol J 1: 437–449

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Auh C, Dowling P, Bell J, Lehmann D, Wang Z-Y (2004) Transgenic down-regulation of caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) led to improved digestibility in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) Funct Plant Biol 31: 235–245

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crane C, Wright E, Dixon RA, Wang Z-Y (2006) Transgenic Medicago truncatula plants obtained from Agrobacterium tumefaciens-transformed roots and Agrobacterium rhizogenes-transformed hairy roots Planta 223: 1344–1354

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon RA, Bouton JH, Narasimhamoorthy B, Saha M, Wang Z-Y, May GD (2007) Beyond structural genomics for plant science. Adv Agron 95: 77–161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ge Y, Norton T, Wang Z-Y (2006) Transgenic zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica) plants obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation Plant Cell Rep 25: 792–798

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ge Y, Cheng X-F, Hopkins A, Wang Z-Y (2007) Generation of transgenic Lolium temulentum plants by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation Plant Cell Rep 26: 783–789

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Ge Y (2005a) Agrobacterium-mediated high efficiency transformation of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) J Plant Physiol 162: 103–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Ge Y (2005b) Rapid and efficient production of transgenic bermudagrass and creeping bentgrass bypassing the callus formation phase. Funct Plant Biol 32: 769–776

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Ge Y (2006) Recent advances in genetic transformation of forage and turf grasses. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Plant 42: 1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Bell J, Ge YX, Lehmann D (2003a) Inheritance of transgenes in transgenic tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Plant 39: 277–282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Scott M, Bell J, Hopkins A, Lehmann D (2003b) Field performance of transgenic tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plants and their progenies Theor Appl Genet 107: 406–412

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Bell J, Lehmann D (2004a) Transgenic Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea) plants obtained by biolistic transformation of embryogenic suspension cells Plant Cell Rep 22: 903–909

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Ge YX, Scott M, Spangenberg G (2004b) Viability and longevity of pollen from transgenic and non-transgenic tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) (Poaceae) plants Am J Bot 91: 523–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-Y, Ge Y, Mian R, Baker J (2005) Development of highly tissue culture responsive lines of Lolium temulentum by anther culture Plant Sci 168: 203–211

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright E, Dixon RA, Wang Z-Y (2006) Medicago truncatula: transformation using cotyledon explants. InWang K (ed) Agrobacterium protocols2Humana Press: Totowa, NJ, pp 129–135(nd edition)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Harrison M, Wang Z-Y (2005a) Transgenic expression of a novel M. truncatula phytase gene results in improved acquisition of organic phosphorus by Arabidopsis Planta 222: 27–36

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Zhang C, Harrison M, Wang Z-Y (2005b) Isolation and characterization of a novel plant promoter that directs strong constitutive expression of transgenes in plants. Mol Breed 15: 221–231

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Katagi H, Harrison M, Wang Z-Y (2006a) Improved phosphorus acquisition and biomass production in Arabidopsis by transgenic expression of a purple acid phosphatase gene from M. truncatula . Plant Sci170: 191–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Liu J, Dewbre G, Harrison M, Wang Z-Y (2006b) Isolation and characterization of root-specific phosphate transporter promoters from Medicago truncatula. Plant Biol 8: 439–449

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xie D-Y, Sharma SB, Wright E, Wang Z-Y, Dixon RA (2006) Metabolic engineering of proanthocyanidins through co-expression of anthocyanidin reductase and the PAP1 MYB transcription factor. Plant J 45: 895–907

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young ND, Cannon SB, Sato S, Kim D, Cook DR, Town CD, Roe BA, Tabata S (2005) Sequencing the genespaces of Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus Plant Physiol 137: 1174–1181

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J-Y, Broeckling CD, Blancaflor EB, Sledge M, Sumner LW, Wang Z-Y (2005) Overexpression of WXP1 , a putative Medicago truncatula AP2 domain-containing transcription factor gene, increases cuticular wax accumulation and enhances drought tolerance in transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Plant J, 42: 689–707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J-Y, Broeckling C, Sumner LW, Wang Z-Y (2006) Heterologous expression of two putative Medicago truncatula ERF transcription factor genes, WXP1 and WXP2, in Arabidopsis led to increased leaf wax accumulation and improved drought tolerance, but differential response in freezing tolerance Plant Mol Biol 64: 265–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zeng-Yu Wang .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC

About this paper

Cite this paper

Wang, ZY. et al. (2009). Transgenesis in Forage Crops. In: Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79144-9_30

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics