Transformation of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) by Agrobacterium tumefaciens Infection of In Vitro Cultured Ovules

Agrobacterium -mediated transformation of in vitro cultured barley ovules is an attractive alternative to well-established barley transformation methods of immature embryos. The ovule culture system can be used for transformation with and without selection and has successfully been used to transform cultivars other than Golden Promise indicating minor genotype dependency. The method allows for the rapid and direct generation of high-quality transgenic plants where the transgenes are stably expressed and show Mendelian inheritance in subsequent generations.