ABSTRACT
Transgenic plant research depends on the availability of procedures for plant transformation. Two types of method for plant transformation exist, the use of Agrobacterium as a biological vector for foreign gene transfer, and direct gene transfer techniques, in which DNA is introduced into cells by the use of physical, electrical or chemical means. Agrobacterium can be used to transform a wide range of plants, but there are a number of species which are of interest for basic or applied research in which Agrobacterium-medieited transformation is not reproducible or efficient. In these plants, direct gene transfer techniques offer the means to establish transformation systems. In this chapter we survey the range of direct gene transfer techniques developed for plant transformation, describing their development and methodology and evaluating their respective advantages and limitations.
