Plant Transformation via Pollen Tube-Mediated Gene Transfer

Abstract

Genetic transformation using foreign genes and the subsequent development of transgenic plants has been employed to develop enhanced elite germplasm. Although some skepticism exits regarding pollen tube-mediated gene transfer (PTT), reports demonstrating improved transformation efficiency with PTT systems are increasing and encouraging and the adoption of increasingly refined pollen-mediated methodologies may lead to species-dependent improvements in breeding. Here, we highlight PTT technology as an alternative to genetic transformation.