Gene from Agrobacterium Confers Drought Tolerance in Wheat

A team of researchers at Forman Christian College in Pakistan reported the successful introduction of the Agrobacterium Isopentenyl transferase (IPT) gene into wheat which led to drought tolerance. Their findings are published in Transgenic Research.

Drought is one of the abiotic stresses that affect the yield and aging of leaves in cereal crops, leading to limitations in productivity. The isopentenyl transferase (IPT) gene, which is involved in the production of cytokinin, can delay drought-induced leaf aging. Thus, the research team introduced the Agrobacterium IPT gene into two local wheat cultivars, NR-421 and FSD-2008.

When exposed to drought conditions, the transgenic wheat plants showed increased chlorophyll and relative water content. Furthermore, for total soluble proteins, two transgenic lines from the NR-421 variety showed a significant increase, while no significant change was observed in the FSD-2008 transgenics. Compared with the non-transgenic controls, the wheat plants had increased plant height, higher fresh and dry biomass, and improved seed weight.

With the findings of the study, the researchers concluded that stress-inducible expression of the IPT gene in wheat leads to improved grain yield and drought tolerance.

Read more findings in Transgenic Research.