Abstract: Tuber, minituber and in vitro-grown microtuber discs of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars 85-14-3, 86-2 and Favorita were used in Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer. A simple, rapid and efficient transformation system was established. Among the three kinds of discs used, the microtuber disc was superior in obtaining transformants. Microtuber discs star ted to form shoots on shoot inducing medium containing kanamycin two to three weeks after cocultivation. Rooted transformants could be obtained in 6–7 weeks. The transformation efficiency could reach as high as 67.5%. The majority of kanamycin resistant plants gave nopaline positive or GUS expression. A number of transgenic plants were obtained using the plasmid containing a sweet protein NPT Ⅱ and nopaline synthase genes. The leaf callus assay and nopaline assay indicated that the foreign sweet protein gene was introduced into the potato genome.

Key words: Potato transformation, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Sweet protein gene, NPT Ⅱ, Nopaline systhase, GUS