Regeneration and genetic transformation via organogenesis of different cultivars of Vitis vinifera and Prunus persica

Fruit production represents one of the most important sectors for the Mediterranean area, including fruits for fresh market and industrial processing. The genetic transformation of fruit trees provides huge potential for the improvement of fruit production and quality and for obtaining cultivars with increased resistance to pathogens. Furthermore, efficient methods of fruit tree transformation would facilitate gene function studies. The aim of this research is to develop efficient regeneration and genetic transformation protocols to be applied to different cultivars and rootstocks of grapevine and peach by implementing a transformation method, developed for table grape and based on organogenesis. The method is used for introducing into grapevine and peach plants genetic constructs that elicit post transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) in order to induce virus resistance or to study gene function. The regenerated lines are currently subjected to molecular analysis to verify the transgenic state.