Scientists Develop Method for Regeneration and Transformation of Groundcherry

Groundcherry, also known as husk cherry, is a small, yellow, and highly nutritious edible fruit with a papery husk. The fruit could be the next superfood, but some of its undesirable characteristics, such as its growing habit and extensive fruit drop, must be improved. Thus, scientists from the Boyce Thompson Institute and Cornell University developed a new plant regeneration and transformation method that can be used to improve groundcherries. The results are published in the Journal of Plant Biotechnology.

Cotyledon and hypocotyl explants were tested for plant regeneration but only the hypocotyl explants successfully regenerated shoots. For transformation, the hypocotyl explants were infected with A. tumefaciens containing a binary vector with a reporter gene and selectable marker gene (nptII). After cocultivation, the explants were cultured on plant regeneration medium and a DNA amplification technique showed the medium (200mg/L kanamycin) with the highest transformation efficiency.

According to the authors, their study is the first conduct of A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation in groundcherry. The findings can help achieve the groundcherry's full potential for future agricultural production.

Read more results in the Journal of Plant Biotechnology.