Production of virus resistant and insect tolerant transgenic tobacco plants.

The cucumber mosaic virus coat protein (CMV-CP) gene and a modified Bacillus thuringiensis δ-endotoxin (Bt toxin) gene were cloned into plant expression vector pE3. Tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum cv. G28) leaf discs were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens A12 carrying recombinant pE14. Transgenic r and R tobacco plants expressing CMV-CP and Bt toxin genes were protected from CMV infection as well as feeding damage of Manduca Sexta (tobacco hornworm) larvae. These results demonstrate that it is feasible to breed new cultivars with multiple resistances via genetic engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]