Fungal diseases of crop plants cause huge damage and reduce crop productivity significantly. The management of these diseases, using synthetic chemical fungicides poses considerable ecological damage and health hazards to livestock. Transgenic plants harboring genes for broad spectrum resistance against fungal pathogens could be an economically viable strategy for reducing crop damage caused by these pathogens. Trichoderma virens is a fungus used for biological control of plant disease. An endochitinase gene from this fungus has been cloned and a gene construct for expressing this gene in plants is prepared. This construct, when introduced in plants like tobacco and tomato, significantly improved tolerance of these plants to test pathogens. This construct is now ready to be introduced to commercial cultivars for obtaining disease tolerant crop plants

                                

Note: NT- not treated and T-treated plants in the above figure.

ADVANTAGES OF TRANSGENIC PLANTS TOLERANT TO PATHOGENS

• Clean and green technology- no requirement of chemical fungicides, ecological  damage is avoided.
• Easy crop management practices for farmers
• Tolerance to multiple pathogens - that cannot be obtained by applying fungicides or resistance breeding.
• The same construct can be used to generate many different crop plants tolerant to fungal pathogens.

Fungal diseases of crop plants cause huge damage and reduce crop productivity significantly. The management of these diseases, where available, relies heavily on synthetic chemical fungicides, and poses considerable ecological damage and health hazards to livestock. Transgenic plants harboring genes for broad spectrum resistance against fungal pathogens could be an economically viable strategy for reducing crop damage caused by these pathogens.

TRANSGENIC PLANTS FOR IMPROVED DISEASE TOLERANCE :

Trichoderma virens is a fungus used for biological control of plant disease. An endochitinase gene from this fungus has been cloned and a gene construct for expressing this gene in plants is prepared. This construct, when introduced in plants like tobacco and tomato, significantly improved tolerance of these plants to test pathogens.

 This construct is now ready to be introduced to commercial cultivars for obtaining disease tolerant crop plants.

ADVANTAGES OF TRANSGENIC PLANTS TOLERANT TO PATHOGENS :

• Clean and green technology- no requirement of chemical fungicides, ecological damage is avoided.
• Easy crop management practices for farmers.
• Tolerance to multiple pathogens - that cannot be obtained by applying fungicides or resistance breeding.
• The same construct can be used to generate many different crop plants tolerant to fungal pathogens.

REQUIREMENTS :

• Infrastructural Requirements : A tissue culture laboratory, facilities for plant transformation and green-house and contained field experimentation facilities.
• Equipment Requirement : Standard glassware for media preparation and sterilization equipment like autoclave, sterile bench, growth room, etc. For transformation of some crops, particle gun bombardment facilities may be required.
• Manpower Requirement : One scientist with experience in plant transgenic work, Two technicians for carrying out routine work & Man-power for field testing of transgenic plants.>
• Capital Requirement : This technology can be taken-up by the seed/ biotech companies already engaged in transgenic research. A plant molecular biology laboratory and facility for field testing of transgenic plants are essential.