Analysis of the Inhibitory Concentration of Ammonium Glufosinate in Cotyledons Explants of Tomato Plants (Solanum lycopersicon)

In recent years, biotechnology has expanded the use of plants by introducing important genes that need to be expressed in large amounts or that contain medicinal properties. Due to this, systems to distinguish the transformed cells from the non-transformed cells are indispensable. Selectable marker genes are important tools for plant genetic transformation. In transformation process, the selection marker that usually determines herbicide or antibiotics resistance is introduced together with the gene of interest and the transgenic condition is revealed by expression of the selection marker, allowing the transformed cells or tissues to survive on medium containing the selective agent. Thus, knowledge about the relative tolerance of plant tissues to selective agents facilitates in vitro cultivation and the selection of species transformed. Cotyledon explants of Solanum lycopersicon were transferred to regeneration medium containing different concentrations of the herbicide ammonium glufosinate, called Phosphinothricin (PPT) and analyzed for their regenerative response. The results indicate a PPT’s concentration of 0.5 mg L-1 to be used in the selection of transformed plants.