Which one of the following is commonly used in transfer of foreign DNA into crop plants? A Meloidogyne incognita B Agrobacterium tumefaciens C Penicillium expansum D Trichoderma harzianum
Trichoderma harzianum is a bio fungicide and is used for suppression of various disease-causing fungal pathogens. Penicillium expansum, blue mold, causes postharvest decay of stored apples and produces the carcinogenic mycotoxin patulin. Meloidogyne incognita, southern root-knot nematode" or the "cotton root-knot nematode", is a nematode with multiple hosts. Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soil-plant pathogenic bacterium that carries Ti plasmid. It can transfer a particular segment of the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid into the nucleus of infected cells. The transferred T-DNA is then integrated into the host genome and transcribed with it. This ability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transfer the T-DNA in host genome is explored in genetic engineering to transfer the desired DNA segment, carrying the gene of the interest, into genome of selected organisms. Option B is the correct answer.
