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The present study has shown the possibility for the production of sugarcane transgenics with red rot resistance. Integration of resistant gene and its stability in the cultivated sugarcane have opened up yet another new method of crop improvement. Through genetic transformation technology it is possible, a variety with high yield and quality which otherwise is lacking in a single character can be improved by the introduction of a specific gene. In India red rot is one of the major fungal disease of sugarcane. Though many varieties with high yield and quality are being developed through conventional methods, due to want of resistance to red rot they could not be released for cultivation. Sugarcane var. Co C671 is one of the important and commercial variety due to its high sucrose content. Hence the present project is focused on the possibility of genes coding for PR proteins defending the fungal diseases imparting red rot resistance in an elite variety through the introduction of genes chitinase, -1,3-glucanase and Dm-AMP1.This would enlighten the possibility of a transgenic approach in sugarcane crop improvement.
About the author
Dr. M. Kanchana is an Assistant Professor in Botany department of PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore. She took her doctorate in Genetic Engineering in 2008 from Sugarcane Breeding Institute(ICAR, NewDelhi), Coimbatore. She loves the company of genes in plants and microbes and enjoys making molecular markers.
