C. Winefield et al., Alteration of Petunia plant form through the introduction of the rolC genefrom Agrobacterium rhizogenes, MOL BREED, 5(6), 1999, pp. 543-551
Mitchell Petunia (Petunia axillaris x (P. axillaris x P. hybrida) plants we
re transformed with the rolC gene from Agrobacterium rhizogenes under contr
ol of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Regenerated Petunia plants
were confirmed as transgenic by Southern and northern blot analyses. Five
transgenic lines expressing differing levels of rolC transcript were charac
terised in detail. The following phenotypic alterations were found to incre
ase in severity with increasing rolC transcript abundance: reductions in pl
ant height, leaf and flower size, a break in apical dominance leading to in
creased branching, and decreased male and female fertility. Time to floweri
ng was also reduced in the rolC transgenic plants. The rolC gene appears to
be a useful tool for the development of cultivars of ornamental crops with
alterations in several commercially important traits.