Transformation of triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x C. transvaalensis cv. TifEagle) by means of biolistic bombardment

A transformation system for triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x C. transvaalensis cv. TifEagle) was established with a biolistic bombardment delivery system. Embryogenic callus was induced from stolons and maintained on Murashige and Skoog's medium supplemented with 30 μM dicamba, 20 μM benzylaminopurine, and 100 mg/l myo-inositol. Using the hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) gene as the selectable marker gene, we obtained 75 transgenic lines from 18 petri dishes bombarded. Integration of the hpt gene into genomic DNA and transcription of hpt was confirmed by Southern and Northern blot analyses, respectively. Through suspension culture screening, we obtained homogeneously transformed plants showing stable transcription of the hpt gene.