Improvement of biomass production in transgenic Melia azedarach L. plants by the expression of a GA20-oxidase gene

Melia azedarach L. is a multipurpose timber tree that is important in forestry plantations. Genetic modification to improve the growth rate and wood quality is important to produce new cultivars of M. azedarach. In this study, the effects of AtGA20ox gene expression on plant growth, wood formation, and biomass production in transgenic M. azedarach plants were investigated. AtGA20ox was inserted into the binary vector pBI101 under the control of the xylem specific promoter CAD4 and transferred to M. azedarach via Agrobacterium-mediated method. The integration and expression of the transgenes were confirmed using PCR, RT-PCR, and Southern blotting. The specificity of CAD4 in the xylem was indicated by the higher expression of the AtGA20ox gene in the stem tissues compared to the leaves.