Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Desiree) with Trichoderma harzianum Chitinase Gene for Enhanced Fungal Resistance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63671/ijsesr.v2i3.157Keywords:
Solanum tuberosum, Trichoderma harzianum, chitinase, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, transgenic plants, fungal resistanceAbstract
Solanum tuberosum L. (Potato) is a food crop of global significance, as it is ranked fourth after maize, rice, and wheat. It is, however, highly susceptible to fungal infections, namely late blight (Phytophthora infestans) and early blight (Alternaria solani), with a combined effect of the two causing tremendous losses to world food production. The use of conventional fungicides is being limited by pathogen resistance, environmental toxicity, and cost, necessitating the development of viable genetic resistance measures. Chitinases, an enzyme that breaks down chitin polymers in fungal cell walls, are a promising antifungal enzyme that can be used in transgenic crops to enhance crop resistance. In the current research, 1000 bp of the chitinase gene of Trichoderma harzianum was cloned and inserted into the binary vector pCAMBIA1301 under the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter and inserted at the NcoI and BglII cut-off sites. Recombinant construct pCAM-trid was transferred into Agrobacterium tumefaciens by the freeze-thaw transformation process and then used to transform the potato cultivar Desiree, which is a highly regenerable cultivar. Among 37 explants, 26 regenerated, and molecular confirmation in the form of PCR and dot blot hybridisation revealed two transgenic lines with the insert of the T. harzianum chitinase gene, leading to a transformation efficiency of 7.69%. The study provides an underpinning for creating genotypes of Solanum tuberosum with superior resistance to fungal pathogens with the help of the heterologous expression of microbial chitinase genes, which offers a foundation for sustainable and environmentally friendly disease control in potato production.
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