TRICHODERMA CHITINASE GENE CONSTRUCT
FOR PLANT TRANSFORMATION
Fungal diseases of crop plants cause huge damage and reduce crop productivity significantly. The management of these diseases, using synthetic chemical fungicides poses considerable ecological damage and health hazards to livestock. Transgenic plants harboring genes for broad spectrum resistance against fungal pathogens could be an economically viable strategy for reducing crop damage caused by these pathogens. Trichoderma virens is a fungus used for biological control of plant disease. An endochitinase gene from this fungus has been cloned and a gene construct for expressing this gene in plants is prepared. This construct, when introduced in plants like tobacco and tomato, significantly improved tolerance of these plants to test pathogens. This construct is now ready to be introduced to commercial cultivars for obtaining disease tolerant crop plants.
  chitinase gene construct chitinase gene construct


Note: NT- not treated and T-treated plants in the above figure.

ADVANTAGES OF TRANSGENIC PLANTS TOLERANT TO PATHOGENS

  • Clean and green technology- no requirement of chemical fungicides, ecological damage is avoided.
  • Easy crop management practices for farmers.
  • Tolerance to multiple pathogens - that cannot be obtained by applying fungicides or resistance breeding.
  • The same construct can be used to generate many different crop plants tolerant to fungal pathogens.

For details contact :
   

    Head, Technology Transfer & Collaboration Division,
    BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE,
    TROMBAY, MUMBAI - 400 085
    Fax : 091-022-25505151
    Email : technology@barc.gov.in

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