Development of Indica Basmati rice harboring two insecticidal genes for sustainable resistance against lepidopteran insects

Rice variety Basmati 370 was transformed with a co-integrate vector pSM6 carrying cry1Ac and cry2A genes. The hygromycin resistance gene on a separate vector, pROB5 was used as a selectable marker. One to two week old scutellum derived calli were transformed with a biolistic gun. Transgenic status of different transformed lines was evaluated by molecular analysis (PCR, Dot blot, Southern blot, Western blot and ELISA) and insect feeding assays with rice leaf folder (RLF) and yellow stem borer (YSB). An average transformation efficiency of 1.98% was observed in a set of experiments. Plants from five different transgenic lines exhibited 100% mortality against rice leaf folder and segregated in Mendelian fashion. Insect bioassays revealed that there is no synergistic or antagonistic effect of cry1Ac and cry2A genes on the development of resistance against RFL and YSB.