In 1982 the new crops research program was initiated in the Florist and Nursery Crops Laboratory to increase the diversity of florist crop germplasm in the United States. Anigozanthos, Chamelaucium, Correa, a dwarf form of Eustoma grandiflorum 'Little Blue Belle', Chamelaucium, Cupressus, and other crops have been introduced to the industry with information that describes propagation, culture, and controlled flowering. Rooting of cutting or in vitro tissue culture propagation of new crops had included Achimenantha, Chamelaucium uncinatum, 'Purple Pride', and Eustoma grandiflorum, 'Little Belle Blue', Ornithogalum dubium, Lachenalia aloides, and Lilium. In addition, a new production technology using bulbils as propagules was developed for Lilium elegans, Asiatic hybrid lily. This production technology is discussed.

Transplant Production Systems

A novel process for the direct transfer of foreign genes to plant genomes is described. The novel process comprises placing a gene under the control of plant expression signals and transferring it, by contact with protoplasts without the aid of natural systems for infecting plants, direct to plant cells from which genetically transformed plants can subsequently be derived.

Transformation of hereditary material of plants

One of the challenges in the application of biotechnology to pest control is the identification of agents found in nature which can be used effectively. Biotechnology offers the potential of developing pesticides based on such agents which will provide environmentally sound and economically feasible insect control alternatives. Such an agent, the insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis, is the subject of intense investigations in several laboratories. Insecticides which use the entomocidal properties of B. thuringiensis are currently produced and sold worldwide; new products are currently in the development stage. Herein, the biology and genetics of B. thuringiensis and the problems associated with current products are critically reviewed with respect to biotechnology. Moreover, the economic and regulatory implications of technologically advanced products are evaluated.

The biotechnology of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several specific areas of plant tissue cultures, such as(1) rapid clonal propagation, (2) production of androgenetic (anther- or pollen-derived) haploid tissues and plants, and (3) culture and fusion of protoplasts and their use in attempts at genetic modification. Haploid callus tissues are mitotically unstable. By the use of suitable concentrations of p-fluorophenylalanine (PFP) in tissue cultures of tobacco, it is possible to maintain stable cultures of haploid cells and to select preferentially haploid cells from the mixed populations of cells of varying ploidy. Much of the work on germ plasm preservation involves the long-term storage of, for example, seeds and pollen grains. The plant tissue cultures also offer a useful method for the long-term storage of plant genetic resources, especially in those species where seeds cannot be easily obtained or stored for long periods of time, and particularly, in cultivars where vegetative propagation is essential for the maintenance of genetic stability. Two procedures developed for the long-term storage of plant tissue cultures are the storage and culture of excised shoot meristems and the freeze preservation of callus or suspension cultures.

Plant Tissue Cultures in Genetics and Plant Breeding

The use of molecular and somatic genetics in plant breeding should facilitate the selection and enhancement of the production of plants with desirable characteristics. However, such techniques are still very much at the experimental stage and several major drawbacks must be overcome before they can be applied to agricultural practice—but the effort should be well worthwhile.

Aspects of plant genetic manipulation

https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/0014-5793%2877%2980355-4

Fate of bacterial plasmid DNA during uptake by barley protoplasts

Effect of Plant Growth, Isolation and Purification Conditions on Barley Protoplast Yield

Fate of bacterial plasmid DNA during uptake by barley and tobacco protoplasts: II. Protection by poly-L-ornithine

Scanning electron micrographs of barley protoplasts were compared using various preparatory techniques Numerous features were observed which turned out to be artifactual characteristics of the processing procedure used in collecting and dehydrating the samples The most successful technique gave protoplasts which presumably maintained their natural structural integrity, as judged by retention of sphericity and absence of holes in the plasma membrane The relative numbers of fragmented protoplasts and cellular organelles was also greatly reduced

Scanning electron microscopy of barley protoplasts

A simple method, involving selective Triton X-100 membrane solubilization, has been developed for the isolation of nuclei from barley and tobacco protoplasts which gives a high yield of essentially pure nuclei. The isolated nuclei resembled those in leaf cells and protoplasts when the isolated nuclei were fixed for short times (2 hours, Medium II), except that their chromatin appeared to be more highly condensed and barley nuclei also lacked the outer nuclear membrane. When longer times of fixation (12 hours, Medium I) were used, the isolated nuclei lacked the characteristic condensed chromatin appearance.

Bronwyn G. Hughes

Papers

Fate of bacterial plasmid DNA during uptake by barley protoplasts

Effect of Plant Growth, Isolation and Purification Conditions on Barley Protoplast Yield

Fate of bacterial plasmid DNA during uptake by barley and tobacco protoplasts: II. Protection by poly-L-ornithine

Scanning electron microscopy of barley protoplasts

Ultrastructure of nuclei isolated from plant protoplasts