Abstract

                                Rice transformation was carried out using Agrobacterium strain C58C1 (pGV2260::pSSJ1A) containing a binary vector, pC0390-ubi-rtp-cry2AX1 with a view to generate marker-free transgenic rice plants, resistant to lepidopteran insects. Eight putative transgenic rice plants, positive to gusA and hpt genes, were generated. Four out of the eight putative transgenic plants were positive for presence of cry2AX1 gene, indicating co-transformation of the selectable marker gene, hpt and the gene of interest, cry2AX1 in these plants. Cry2AX1 protein concentration in PCR positive T₀ Plants ranged from 0.010 to 0.022 μg/g of fresh leaf tissue. The T₂ generation plants were subjected to ELISA, and Cry2AX1 protein concentration ranged from 0.016 to 0.057 μg/g of fresh leaf tissue. Insect bioassay studies on ELISA positive T₀ and T₂ plants against neonates of leaffolder resulted in larval mortality ranging from 15 to 30 %

Key words : Cry2AX1, Transgenic rice, Insect resistance, Rice leaffolder