Transformation of tomatoes with osmotin and chitinase genes and their resistance to Fusarium wilt

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. 'A53') was transformed with a tobacco osmotin gene and a bean chitinase gene using Agrobacterium to produce germplasm with improved Fusarium wilt-resistance. Molecular characterisation by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridisation confirmed the stable integration of the transferred genes into the genome at various insertion sites. Assays of transgene expression were performed using northern blot analysis. Susceptibility tests on two generations of transgenic tomatoes showed improved resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, the fungal pathogen responsible for Fusarium wilt in tomato. This dual combination of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins may be useful in controlling other fungal pathogens in tomato.