Developing transgenic wheat to encounter rusts and powdery mildew by overexpressing barley gene for fungal resistance.

Background: The main aim of this study was to improve fungal resistance in bread wheat via transgenesis. Transgenic wheat plants harboring barley () gene, driven by maize promoter, were obtained using biolistic bombardment, whereas the herbicide resistance gene, driven by the promoter was used as a selectable marker.

Results: Molecular analysis confirmed the integration, copy number, and the level of expression of the gene in four independent transgenic events.