Improvement of wheat transformation by particle bombardment

The transformation system of common wheat was developed based on particle bombardment of immature embryo and scutellar tissue. Plant material was bombarded with the plasmid pDM302 containing the selected marker gene bar (phosphinothricin acetyltransferase) under the control of the actin 1 promoter of rice. Factors affecting the transformation efficiency were studied. The result showed that the particle density used for bombardment was the most important factor. 30-50 μg particles per bombardment was optimal. The transformation frequency could increase when plant material was given a 4-6 h pre bombardment and 16 h post bombardment osmotic treatment. The immature embryo of 12-14 days after pollination was suitable for wheat transgenic recipient