SALINITY EFFECTS AND TRANSFORMATION OF Vicia faba L. CALLUS TISSUES

Abstract

Faba bean (V. faba L.) cultivars Giza 5 and Giza 461 immature embryos were used to obtain callus which was used to study the effect of salinity and transformation by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens bacteria carrying the plasmid pBI121. As the salinity level increased, both fresh and dry weights of callus tissue decreased. However, NaCl + CaCl2 had a less adverse effect on both fresh and dry weights of callus tissue as compared to NaCl alone. Generally, Giza 5 cultivar produced higher fresh and dry weights compared to Giza 461 cultivar. Sugars, soluble phenols and proline concentrations increased as the salinity level increased. Proline showed higher concentration in Giza 461 cultivar compared to Giza 5 cultivar. Vicia. faba L. callus tissue proved to be sensitive to kanamycin, whereas the survival rate was only about 2% at a concentration of 75 mg/l kanamycin. Giza 5 cultivar recorded higher transformation percentage than Giza 461 cultivar. Thus, the established callus tissue transformation in the present work can offer the introduction of new desirable genes to improve V. faba L. nutritional value and increasing resistance to disease and some herbicides and consequently improving the economical plant productivity.