Agrobacterium - Mediated transformation and evaluation of Solanum Tuberosum L. cv Mnandi for resistence against Phthorimaea operculella Zeller.

M.Tech. AgriculturePotato tuber moth is one of the major insect pests of potato during cultivation and storage conditions. It causes serious damage to potato leaves and tubers making the latter unfit for human consumption or use as seed. This pest can be combated when a Bacillus thuringiensis gene is expressed in potato. During this study Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was used to transfer the Bacillus thuringiensis gene, specifically the cry1Ia1 gene, into the South African potato cultivar Mnandi. In vitro potato explants were used in the transformation study. The explants were cultured on the pre-culture medium with 50 μM acetosyringone, infected for 30 minutes with the Agrobacterium tumefaciens cell suspension and co-cultivated for two days. Stable gene integration of the cry1Ia1 gene into these lines were analysed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridization procedures. The level of resistance to the potato tuber moth was investigated during leaf and tuber bio-assays. The Southern blot hybridization analysis verified that the cry1Ia1 gene was inserted into the genome of six potato lines. Insect resistant ‘Mnandi’ could allow a reduction in the use of pesticides during cultivation and allow potato growers to lower the risk of potato tuber moth as a post harvest pest of stored potatoes