Regeneration of fertile transgenic tall fescue plants with a stable highlyexpressed foreign gene

One hundred and seventeen green tall fescue plants and 37 albino plants wer e regenerated from a glufosinate ammonium resistant callus clone co-transfo rmed with the bar gene and the gus gene, both driven by the rice actin 1 pr omoter. The gus gene was not detectable in regenerated plants but the prese nce of the bar gene in these plants was detected by the polymerase chain re action and integration of the bar gene into the genome by Southern blot hyb ridization. A high and stable expression of the bar gene was evident from t he assay for phosphinothricin-N-acetyltransferase activity and from sprayin g plants with glufosinate ammonium herbicide. There was no detectable varia tion with respect to the level of bar gene expression among these plants. H owever, no inheritance of the bar gene was found in two populations of outc rossed progenies.