A method of somatic embryogenesis from leaf segments of Dendranthema g
randiflora Tzvelev., cultivars 'Yellow Spider', 'White Snowdon', 'Oran
ge Westland' and 'Mistletoe' was developed and used for transformation
of these cultivars by Agrobacterium. Two different Agrobacterium tume
faciens strains were used: the wild type B6S3 and the disarmed strain
carrying in its T-DNA the beta-glucuronidase gene and the neomycine ph
osphotransferase II gene as a selectable marker gene. Non-chimeric tra
nsformed plants were obtained. The cultivar 'White Snowdon' has been p
roved to be susceptible to Agrobacterium transformation. Regenerated p
lants showed stable octopine synthase or beta-glucuronidase (GUS) expr
ession during vegetative propagation.