Transformation of a recalcitrant potato cultivar by an Agrobacterium binary vector

The Czechoslovak potato cultivar Lipa was recalcitrant to transformation using established procedures. A modified leaf disc procedure was developed, which allowed the transformation of Lipa with the Agrobacterium Ti plasmid-based binary vector pARCS. After transformation, leaf explants were incubated on callus-inducing selection medium containing 50 mg/1 kanamycin for 6 weeks, before selective conditions for shoot induction were applied. Shoot induction was continued for up to 5 months. Transgenic plants were obtained from shoots on selective root-induction medium. Southern-blot analysis confirmed the presence of T-DNA from the vector pARCS in 1-2 copies per tetraploid genome in all rooted transgenic clones.