Unfavorable environmental stresses are major limiting factors that affect plant productivity. Plants perceive and respond adaptively to an abiotic stress condition, and the adaptive process is controlled mainly by phytohormone, consequently, changing in gene expression pattern. Transcriptional regulator ABF3 (Abscisic acid response element Binding Factor 3) mediating the ABA-responsive gene expression plays important roles in drought and temperature tolerance. Here, we report an event of drought tolerant GM gourd in which abf3 was inserted in the genome. For drought stress experiment, T0 plants were self-pollinated and back-crossed to select cultivars for drought stress experiment. The drought tolerant GM gourds were selected for last 3 years and have been crossed to get the several BC and T generation consecutively. In this year, BC3T1, F1 (Bak x GM gourd), BC1F1 and control plants were subjected to drought stress, that is no watering for 12 days and rehydration afterwards. The GM gourds showed high tolerance to drought while the non-transformed plants were totally dried. When the plants were subjected to rehydration, the GM bottle gourds were completely revived and recovered from the drought stress. Tolerance levels to drought of BC3T1, F1 (Bak x GM gourd) and BC1F1 were 92.5%, 50.0% and 65.0%, respectively.

• Mi-Jin Kim(Biotechnology Institute, Nongwoo Bio Co.)
• Yuon Sub Shin(Breeding Institute, Nongwoo Bio Co.)
• Soo Young Kim(Dept. of Molecular Biotechnology, Collage of Agriculture & Life Science, Chonnam National Univ.)
• Soon-Chun Jeong(Bio-Evaluation Center, KRIBB)
• Chee Hark Harn(Biotechnology Institute, Nongwoo Bio Co.) Corresponding Author