Parrott Lab // Lab Output

Some engineered plants of note...
Last modified November 4, 2006

The photo depicts a soybean seed engineered to produce beta-carotene. Beta-carotene serves as precursor to for other carotenoids important to animal husbandry, such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin.

LEFT: A genotype of alfalfa grown in soil with an acid(left) or neutral (right) pH. The plant from acid soil is showing the classic symptom of aluminum toxicity as found in acid soils.
RIGHT: The same plant after it has been engineered to produce citrate synthase, also grown in acid (left) or neutral (right) pH.

The photo shows a T₀ peanut plant (right)engineered with an antisense N gene from the tomato spotted wilt virus. This plant, and others like it, have remained asymptomatic for a year. In contrast, non-transgenic plants (like the one on the right) showed symptoms of infection. The progeny were field-tested during the summer of 1998.

The photo depicts a T₃ soybean plant engineered with a Bt gene for insect resistance. Non-engineered plants suffered complete defoliation from velvetbean caterpillars during a 1996 field trial. A larger field trial in 1997 and 1998 confirmed the initial results. We have now used SSR markers to stack Bt with QTLs for insect resistance in soybean, and found one very effective combination.

	The photo depicts a soybean seed engineered to produce beta-carotene. Beta-carotene serves as precursor to for other carotenoids important to animal husbandry, such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin.
	LEFT: A genotype of alfalfa grown in soil with an acid(left) or neutral (right) pH. The plant from acid soil is showing the classic symptom of aluminum toxicity as found in acid soils. RIGHT: The same plant after it has been engineered to produce citrate synthase, also grown in acid (left) or neutral (right) pH.

	The photo shows a T₀ peanut plant (right)engineered with an antisense N gene from the tomato spotted wilt virus. This plant, and others like it, have remained asymptomatic for a year. In contrast, non-transgenic plants (like the one on the right) showed symptoms of infection. The progeny were field-tested during the summer of 1998.

	The photo depicts a T₃ soybean plant engineered with a Bt gene for insect resistance. Non-engineered plants suffered complete defoliation from velvetbean caterpillars during a 1996 field trial. A larger field trial in 1997 and 1998 confirmed the initial results. We have now used SSR markers to stack Bt with QTLs for insect resistance in soybean, and found one very effective combination.