Plant transformation
Post update: December 19, 2010
in Agriculture and food
An early application of this technique in Thailand’s agricultural scene was the development of transgenic tomato plants resistant to the tomato yellow leaf curl virus. BIOTEC’s Plant Genetic Engineering Unit at Kasetsart University has successfully created tomato plants that carry the coat protein gene of the tomato yellow leaf curl virus, to help control this economically-damaging viral disease.
The same approach was taken to develop transgenic papaya and pepper that are resistant to the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and transgenic chili that is resistant to the vein-banding mottle virus.
Most of these transgenic plants are now being tested in confined conditions in compliance with Thailand’s bio-safety guidelines.
Among Thailand’s transgenic plant development programs, the most advanced is the one for virus resistant papaya and currently two varieties of transgenic papaya are undergoing food safety assessment.
Mahidol University
Chulalongkorn University
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT)
