ISHS Acta Horticulturae 585: VIII International Rubus and Ribes Symposium
BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR IMPROVING RUBUS PRODUCTION AND QUALITY |
| Authors: | B. Mezzetti, L. Landi, A. Spean |
| Keywords: | Raspberry, genetic transformation, auxin, fruit quality |
| Abstract:
Recombinant DNA technology can increase our knowledge on the factors affecting development and quality in different types of fruit which can then be manipulated by plant genetic engineering. In this work, methods for regeneration, genetic transformation, selection and molecular analysis were studied for raspberry. Among the different genotypes tested, the primocane raspberry variety ‘Ruby’ resulted in the highest efficiency of transformation. This produced the first genetically modified (GM) raspberry clone with the parthenocarpic gene. The endogenous synthesis of auxin caused by the gene (one copy) was able to sustain the parthenocarpic fruit development from emasculated flowers of the GM ‘Ruby’ clone. Furthermore, the modification induced on fruit phenotype was analysed and compared with the control, showing a particular effect in promoting a large increase in berry size. For some berries (e.g. raspberry and blackberry) auxin exogenously supplied is not able to sustain parthenocarpic development. These results bring interesting scientific advances adding to our knowledge of the major components controlling berry fruit development and quality definition. They indicate the potential of these tools to “breed” novel berries with improved standardisation of productivity and quality | |
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