Biotechnology and flower colors
2003
Salehi, Hasan, Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture , Shiraz University
In fact, the function of flower color is the attraction of pollinator insects. Although it is a factor to select the ornamental plant cultivars by consumers. Some ornamental species have a limited color diversity, but the others have not a special color, e.g., blue color. Thus, production of new flower colors by genetic engineering may largely improve the floriculture industry. One advantage of molecular breeding is the changing of flower color without the changing of other characteristics. Basic steps in transforming the plants are consisted of: a. transferring the selected DNA to the plant cells, b. selecting the transgenic cells and c. regenerating the complete plants from the transgenic cells. The flower color has been successfully changed in transgenic Petunia, Gerbera, Lisianthus, Rosa and Dendranthema plants. Today, the main purpose of using biotechnological methods to improve the flower colors is producing the blue color transgenic flowers in species that can not produce this color.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]