Activity of the CaMV 35S promoter in various parts of transgenic early flowering birch clones

Early flowering together with small size would be useful for various biotechnical or genetic studies on trees. We report here the selection and micropropagation of early flowering birch (Betula pendula) clones (BPM1-12) obtained from seeds of birches bred elsewhere for early flowering. Under conditions that accelerate flowering (a high CO2 level, strong and continuous illumination), the first male inflorescences emerged in 3-5 months, the trees then being 20-80 cm high. Transgenic lines (CaMV 35S-GUS INT) were produced through Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer from BPM2, BPM5 and JR1/4 (a normally flowering birch). beta-Glucuronidase (GUS) activities in the different lines, assayed 1-1.5 years after transformation, varied greatly. During further in vitro culture for 10 months, the activities decreased to 0.3-7% of the original values. GUS activities were detected in all organs studied, including the developing male inflorescences; the highest activity was in the roots.