LASER -MEDIATED GENE TRANSFER IN EGYPTIAN WHEAT triticum aestivumL

Abstract

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops worldwide, with the largest harvested apr..!,a arid production levels (occupies approximately 20% of the world's cultiva.wd land), in Egypt, the eultivaled area inoreaEed to LmiiIion feddans. • For thousands of years, the only method available for the introduction of ncvy. characteristics into plants has been opriventional brooding involving sexual hybridi7ation, followed by the selection of plants with the most desirable phenotypes. However, plant breeding is a l'enOhy process, talc ine ten to tittecn years to produce and to release a. new variety_ Plant genetic engineering not only accelerates the process of plant breeding:, but enables the introduction of new genes, either by overcoming the barriers of sex_ual incompatibility through somatic hybridization or by the introduction of specific genes into plant cells using transformation methodologies SouthgaN ele (1995),