An efficient rice transformation system utilizing mature seed-derived explants and a portable, inexpensive particle bombardment device

We developed a practical and efficient gene transfer system for indica rice utilizing mature-seed derived explants and a simple bombardment device whi ch uses compressed helium for accelerating DNA-coated metal particles. Unli ke instruments which have been described in the literature previously, this new bombardment device, which is an improvement of the particle inflow con cept, does not require vacuum. This attribute simplifies the transformation procedure significantly and it makes rice transformation technology access ible to laboratories which may not have the resources to invest in more exp ensive particle bombardment instruments. We determined experimentally that we could recover transgenic rice plants utilizing three different particle bombardment instruments at comparable frequencies.