Phenotypic Assessment of Bt Cry2A Transgenic Tomato Resistant to Neonate larva of Helicoverpa armigera
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) is the most imperative vegetable crop cultivated across the world. In India, the tomato productivity is stumpy and one of the major limiting factors is the damage caused by tomato fruit borer Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). At present there is no source of genetic resistance existing in tomato germplasm against this pest. The conventional methods for management of this particular pest are futile. Bt transgenic technology provides a secure and consistent means for management of this pest. With this analysis, the cry2A Bt transgenic tomato cv. Arka Vikas was developed for resistance to fruit borer through Agrobacterium mediated transformation. The Agrobacterium strain EHA 105 harboring pBINBT cry2A containing CaMv35S promoter, OCS terminator, the synthetic cry2A gene coding region and neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) selectable cassette was used for transformation. Transformants were obtained through efficient regeneration and transformation protocol developed in our lab. Using PCR and qualitative ELISA, confirmation of transgene integration and expression respectively were respectively were examined. The detached leaf insect bioassays were performed with in vitro reared freshly hatched first instar neonate of Helicoverpa armigera larvae. Transgenic plants showed extensive resistance to Helicoverpa armigera and we found a significant mortality (95 %) of H. armigera within 24 hr of bioassays and outcome of this examination on Bt tomato lines revealed that these transgenic lines were effective in management of H. armigera.
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