Advances in Plant Transformation: Morphogenic Genes and NextGen Agrobacterium

This session was presented at the 2026 In Vitro Biology Meeting held in Reno, Nevada from June 6-10, 2026 and was recorded as part of the In-Person and On-Demand Limited Access Program. Morphogenic genes and next-generation (NextGen) Agrobacterium technologies are advancing the transformation of a wide range of plant species. In this workshop, presenters will provide an overview of these emerging tools and provide practical guidance for researchers seeking to incorporate them into their work. The presentation in Part 1 of the workshop will outline the principles of morphogenic gene utilization and summarize the current status of the technology with an emphasis on practical implementation strategies. Regarding NextGen Agrobacterium, although considerable natural diversity exists, only a limited number of strains are routinely used for plant transformation. Both commonly used and underexplored strains can be further optimized through bioengineering to improve transformation outcomes and potentially enable success with intractable species. Part 2 will feature three presentations focusing on: (1) fundamental practices for handling Agrobacterium; (2) recent innovations in strain design and application; and (3) how NextGen Agrobacterium can address common challenges such as bacterial overgrowth, construct instability, and hypersensitive responses frequently observed with traditional strains. Introduction (J. Van Eck) P-1 Morphogene-mediated Transformation of Grasses Nagesh Sardesai, Corteva Agriscience P-2 Best Practices for Handling Agrobacterium Veena Veena, BE2 Consulting P-3 Development of Agrobacterium Strain Resources for Plant Transformation Chris Willig, Oregon State University P-4 Solving Problems Using New Agrobacterium Technologies Vincent Pennetti Discussion This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2611965 Learn more about the SIVB Annual Meetings at https://sivb.org/meetings.