Generation of Herbicide Resistant Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) Plants by Electroporation-Mediated Direct Gene Transfer into Protoplasts

Phosphinothricin N-acetyl transt'erase gene (pat) was introduced into creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) protoplasts by electroporation-mediated direct gene transfer. Bialaphos resistant calli were yielded through selection with a concentration of 5 mg/l and several plantlets were generated from the calli. The polymer-ase chain reaction and Southern hybridization analyses of randomly chosen plants indicated that the transgene was integrated into their genomes. Application of herbicide to transgenic creeping bentgrass plants showed no necrosis, demonstrating the expression and functional activity of pat gene in transgenic plants.