ABSTRACT
In the present study, a novel plant transformation system for Doritaenopsis and Phalaenopsis has been developed. The pollen-mediated activation tagging system was established by artificial pollination. The pollens, co-cultured with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harbouring an activation tagging vector (pTAG-8), were used for pollination. In order to optimize the transformation efficiency, several factors (concentration of A. tumefaciens, concentration of acetosyringone during co-cultivation and the duration of co-cultivation) known to influence Agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer were examined. A concentration of 0.5-1 x 10(8) CFU/ml for A. tumefaciens, 0.1 mM acetosyringone, and 6 hrs of co-culture period were found to be the optimal condition for high transformation efficiency. Integration of T-DNA into the genome of putative transgenic plants was confirmed by PCR and DNA blot analyses. Single copy of the transgene was observed in all transgenic plants analyzed. Most of the transgenic plants had a morphologically normal phenotype and the overall capsule formation efficiency was similar to control plant. Our results showed a new approach of genetic transformation in orchids and this method can be employed for genetic improvement of the orchids.