REGENERATION OF TRANSGENIC PLANTS FROM HAIRY ROOT OF KIWI FRUIT (ACTINIDIA-DELICIOSA) INDUCED BY AGROBACTERIUM-RHIZOGENES

In this paper we described the successful development of kiwi fruit tr ansformants from hairy roots induced by A. rhizogenes. Hypocotyls of k iwi fruit seedlings inoculated with a domestic wild strain of A, rhizo genes NIAES 1724 produced two hairy root lines growing vigorously on M S medium without phytohormones, Shoots were easily differentiated from the hairy roots, and gave rise to complete plants, These plants devel oped shorter internodes, darker wrinkled leaves and displayed active r oot formation under in vitro conditions, The number of branches increa sed and miniaturization of leaves was promoted after acclimatization, as compared with the control plants, They were found to be transforman ts because of the detection of mikimopine in the leaf extracts and the presence of rol genes from Ri plasmid in the plant total DNA. These r esults suggest that A, rhizogenes NIAES 1724 could be utilized as a ve ctor for transformation studies of kiwi fruit.