Türk tatlı patates çeşidinde Agrobacterium aracılığı ile markör gen transferi

Biotechnological studies are gaining importance due to climate change, population growth and the difficulties in meeting the increasing food demand. Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] which is highly nutritious and beneficial for health is consumed worldwide as a functional food. In Turkey, the increasing interest in I. batatas has led to an increased production. Nowadays, sweetpotato is generally grown in the south part of the country, mainly in Hatay region. While local varieties are yet to be improved agriculturally to supply economic gain, it is difficult to perform traditional hybridization for I. batatas. Therefore, by using transgenic plant technology, it might be possible to develop varieties with desired traits including high nutritional value, resistance to diseases and tolerance to stress conditions. In this study, Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer system in I. batatas local variety Hatay Red was optimized by using the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene as a marker in pCAMBIA1301 plasmid carried by Agrobacterium LBA4404 strain. Calli formation from I. batatas Hatay Red internode explants were optimized with an average callus formation efficiency of 79 per cent. YEB medium was optimized at 30°C for growth of LBA4404 strain and for efficient single colony formation. The co-cultivation duration of Agrobacterium and I. batatas were optimized as 3 days. Putative transgenic calli were confirmed by GUS assay and PCR identification of GUS gene. The results showed that efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is negatively influenced by many factors including the plant genotype, type of Agrobacterium strain, the age of explant, bacterial density, time for inoculation and co-cultivation. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first plant transformation study conducted with a Turkish I. batatas variety and has a great potential to provide new insights for transformation studies in local cultivars of I. batatas. Besides, optimizing plant tissue culture protocols are crucial to overcome viral disease problems in Turkish sweetpotato cultivars. In the second part of this study, 7 different South Korean I. batatas cultivars were micropropagated with an established protocol for future agricultural applications and biotechnological research studies.