To develop transgenic forage crops with enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress, we introduced an alfalfa Hsp23 gene expression vector construct through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Integration and expression of the transgene were confirmed by PCR, northern blot, and western blot analyses. Under normal growth conditions, there was no significant difference in the growth of the transgenic plants and the non-transgenic controls. However, when exposed to various stresses such as salt or arsenic, transgenic plants showed a significantly lower accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances than control plants. The reduced accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances indicates that the transgenic plants possessed a more efficient reactive oxygen species-scavenging system. We speculate that the high levels of MsHsp23 proteins in the transgenic plants protect leaves from oxidative damage through chaperon and antioxidant activities. These results suggest that MsHsp23 confers abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic forage crops and may be useful in developing stress tolerance in other crops.

• Ki-Won Lee(Grassland and Forages Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration)
• Ki-Yong Kim(Grassland and Forages Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration)
• Hee Chung Ji(Grassland and Forages Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration)
• Tae Young Hwang(Grassland and Forages Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration)
• Sang-Hoon Lee(Grassland and Forages Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration) Corresponding Author