Physiological, biochemical and economic characteristics of transgenic winter wheat plants with RNA suppressor of the proline dehydrogenase gene

Aim. To analyze the physiological, biochemical and economic characteristics of genetically modified plants of new promising genotypes of winter bread wheat of seed generation T2 with a double-stranded RNA suppressor of the proline dehydrogenase gene. Methods. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in vitro; biochemical determination of proline dehydrogenase enzyme activity and free proline content; morphometric indicators and elements of crop structure; mathematical statistics. Results. It is shown that transgenic plants, in contrast to control, grow on a medium with mannitol more intensely, retaining a green color. It was found that both under normal conditions and under conditions of water deficiency, plants of seed generation T2 have an increased level of free Proline in the leaves compared to control genotypes. It was found that transformants are characterized by reduced activity of the enzyme proline dehydrogenase, which is manifested by changes in normal – stress – normal conditions. Transgenic T2 plants had a higher tolerance to water deficiency compared to the original, which was reflected in the nature of their growth. In conditions of soil moisture deficiency, the yield of most transformed lines was higher compared to untransformed plants. Conclusions. The results suggest that the use of a vector construct with a double-stranded RNA suppressor of the ProDH gene is effective for creating transgenic winter bread wheat plants with increased tolerance to water deficiency.