Transgene transmission frequencies between cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Dutch) and other Fragaria species

Abstract

The transmission of transgenes (uid-A and nptII) was studied in crosses between transgenic plants, with Fragaria x ananassa cultivar Teodora as the donor plant and various Fragaria species as recipient plants. GUS expression and kanamycin resistance were evaluated in embryos and in seedlings after aseptical germination, both in intra- and inter-specific crosses as demonstrated by different ploidy level. This expression in most of the T₁ seedlings shows that one or more functional transgenes were transferred from T₀ plants to T₁ seedlings. These results, obtained in a greenhouse, confirm the possibility of genetic exchange both at the intra- and inter-specific level, though the inter-specific hybrids seem to have reduced germination ability. These observations need to be further investigated.