AGROBACTERIUM-RHIZOGENES MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION OF ARTEMISIA-ANNUA -PRODUCTION OF TRANSGENIC PLANTS

Transgenic hairy roots were induced in the leaves of Artemisia annua b y treatment with the LBA 9402 strain of Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The axenic hairy root cultures were found to produce the sesquiterpenes ar temisinic acid and arteannuin B. The hairy root cultures were observed to spontaneously regenerate into plantlets on solid hormone-free MS m edium. The regenerated plants had phenotypic characteristics typical t o the transformed plants. Among the plants of the age of one month in culture, the transgenic plant was bigger (2.643 g/plant) than the norm al (0.856 g/plant). Both these kinds of in vitro plants carried sesqui terpenes-artemisinic acid and arteannuin B.