Transformation of the oilseed crop Camelina sativa by Agrobacterium-mediated floral dip and simple large-scale screening of transformants

Camelina sativa is a promising under-exploited oilseed crop with potential to become a biofuel feedstock. The ability to transform C. sativa would allow for the rapid introduction of novel traits into this emerging crop. We report the development of an Agrobacterium-based floral dip transformation method, requiring no vacuum-infiltration step, with transformation efficiencies up to 0.8%. C. sativa cultivars Ames 26665, “Calena” A3U7761, Ames 1043, and “Celine” were tested using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains GV3101, EHA105, and At503. Use of all strains and cultivars resulted in transformed plants; however, GV3101 was the only Agrobacterium strain and Ames 1043 the only C. sativa cultivar to yield transformed plants under all conditions tested. Progeny analysis revealed that in approximately 78% of the transformed plants, the transgene segregated as a single locus. Furthermore, a high-throughput, filter paper-based PCR method was developed to screen marker-free transformed plants. Together, these methods will allow for easier introduction of new genes into this promising oilseed crop.