Recent Progress of Transgenic Technology Development for Alfalfa

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important leguminous crop worldwide and it has important roles in different aspects of the agriculture system, including livestock feed, crop soil conservation, and improvement of soil nitrogen supply. As a perennial crop, alfalfa breeding for trait improvement takes longer periods of time compared to many other crops, therefore, genetic engineering is a faster route for alfalfa trait modification and improvement. Alfalfa was a first crop in which somatic embryogenesis was developed. Alfalfa was also a pioneering crop in which transgenic technology was developed and applied for trait improvement. Transgenic technology in alfalfa has since advanced steadily in various areas. In this review, we update the recent research progress in alfalfa genetic engineering, focusing on genetic transformation and use of transgenic technology for trait improvement and new trait development.

MsCIPK, a CBL-interacting Protein Kinase in Medicago sativa L., Confers Salt and Osmotic Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco

“…Natural alfalfa genetic resources could serve as a useful gene pool for diverse resistance gene discovery 2,[5][6][7]45 . Molecular markers, structural variants in the genomic level and functional validations of novel candidate genes at the transgenic level will jointly promote the new breeding era of alfalfa with fast biotechnological advancements 1,46,47 .…”

Application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in forages

“…Certain forage species can also be used as turfgrass or as bioenergy crops. Transgenic technology has been employed to improve agronomical traits in a number of forage species (Brummer & Wang, 2020; Gou et al, 2019; Liu, Aung, et al, 2018; Z. Y. Wang & Brummer, 2012). Unlike transgenic technologies that require the stable integration of transgenes in the plant genome, genome editing allows the generation of targeted mutations with less safety issues.…”

“…Certain forage species can also be used as turfgrass or as bioenergy crops. Transgenic technology has been employed to improve agronomical traits in a number of forage species (Brummer & Wang, 2020;Gou et al, 2019;Liu, Aung, et al, 2018; Z. Y. Wang & Brummer, 2012).…”