A simple system for pea transformation.

The lateral cotyledonary meristems of germinatingPisum sativum cv. Puget seeds were used to develop a reproducibleAgrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation system. This procedure exhibits distinct advantages over those previously reported, in that it uses dry seed as starting material, and the highly regenerable cotyledonary meristems rapidly produce transgenic shoots without an intermediate callus phase. This transformation regime facilitates the rapid generation of phenotypically normal, self-fertile plants containing functional transgenes inherited in a Mendelian fashion.