Legume biotechnology: towards development of a genetic transformation system for commercial cultivars of soybean (Glycine max L.)

Legume plants are a major source of proteins for human and animals. Legumes have the unique capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Soybean is a major legume crop providing oilseed, used for various purposes. Soybean genome sequence has been recently made available. Advances in genomics can be fully utilized with the development of genetic transformation systems for commercial cultivars. To this end, we aim to develop an efficient method for genetic transformation of commercial cultivars of soybean. Therefore, we evaluated different seedling explants, cultivars and selective marker genes. Our result indicated the importance of using a combination of antibiotics and explant type during Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Also, the use of Basta to select transgenic cells and shoots is highlighted.