Somatic embryogenesis and genetic transformation in peanut

Abstract

Arachis hypogaea L. (peanut, groundnut), worlds most important oilseed crop is a legume, native to South America. This crop grows in a wide range of agro-climatic conditions. Peanut seeds constitute an excellent source of edible oil, protein and other nutrients. The productivity and nutritional value of this crop can be improved by developing cultivars resistant to biotic/abiotic stresses and having better protein and oil quality/quantity. Biotechnology offers the option to supplement the ongoing efforts on developing genetically modified germplasm for desirable characteristics by transformation techniques. Reliable in vitro regeneration protocols and suitable transformation strategy are prerequisites for the genetic transformation approach. Peanut has been studied extensively for regeneration in vitro and for genetic transformation. However, none of the existing regeneration protocols is efficient, as the conversion of somatic embryos to plantlet involves several manipulations. Failure of the peanut somatic embryos to convert into plantlets is attributed to developmental abnormalities of the plumule. Keeping in view the limitations of the existing protocols, present program entitled “Somatic Embryogenesis And Genetic Transformation In Peanut” was undertaken with the following objectives: 1) Morphological studies to obtain normal fertile peanut plants at high frequency via somatic embryogenesis. 2) Optimization of the protocol for transformation using Agrobacterium rhizogenes for genetic improvement. The data generated from this study is compiled in the five chapter of this thesis.