Variability in the response toPseudomonas solanacearum of transgenic lines of potato carrying a cecropin gene analogue

Summary Transgenic potato plants of cv. Désirée carrying an antibacterial gene, coding for a cecropin lytic peptide analogue, were inoculated with a virulent strain ofPseudomonas solanacearum under controlled conditions. The disease index scored during three repeated infection trials indicated an increased variability in plant response among the transgenic lines which gave either a more susceptible or a more resistant response to the pathogen when compared with untransformed Désirée. Immunity toP. solanacearum was not observed, but it was possible to select a group of transgenic lines that showed resistance levels and disease development curves comparable to the field resistant cv. Cruza 148.