Bar gene transformation on some common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties via Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Common Beans are important edible grain legumes from the family Leguminaseae (Fabaceae). Herbicides used in bean cultures are effective in the weeding of red-rooted fox tail, sirken, wild mustard etc. These herbicides accumulate on plants and can show residual effects on fruits, that can adversely damage the plants and all the organisms feding from these plants along with polluting of the soil. The aim of this thesis, was to optimize the regeneration system of widely grown bean cultivars in Turkey namely Yunus-90, Göynük-98 and Önceler-98 that could facilitate development of herbicides resistant plants through Agrobacterium mediated transformation. Shoot regeneration was noted on MS medium containing BAP, BAP-NAA and IAA treated seeds and mature embryo explants of all three bean cultivars; when, no regeneration was observed on the apical meristem explants when different shoot regeneration systems were evaluated. Rooting was observed using 2.0 mg / l IBA in MS medium on shoots developed from mature embryo explants that were pretreated for 5 days in MS medium containing 10 mg / l IAA. Gene transfer studies were performed both under in vitro and in planta conditions using LBA4404::pRGG bar and GV2260 :: p 35S Gus INT lines of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Genetic transformation was confirmed in Yunus 90 and Önceler 98 cultivars under in vitro conditions and for all three cultivars under in planta conditions through PCR analysis.