DefinePK

Abstract

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool for developing plants resistant to biotic and abiotic stress, helping to ensure sustainable food production. It also shows great potential for molecular farming. The most common method for plant transformation uses Agrobacterium tumefaciens to integrate genes of interest into the genome, either randomly or at specific sites. This process allows for effective genome modification and editing. However, its efficiency depends heavily on factors like plant genotype and explant type. These limitations have encouraged efforts to improve the technique and to discover new biological transformation methods. This review explores innovative biological agents as promising alternatives to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these new agents, concluding that they provide researchers with a broader and more effective range of options for plant transformation.
Keywords: Agrobacterium, crop improvement; Genetically modified organism; Plant transformation; Microbial transformants; Rhizobium
http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2025.140086