So far all the published reports on transgenic wheat have utilized immature embryo explants for the production of transgenics. However, mature embryos being available throughout the year can be the most convenient explant for transformation. For comparison, immature embryos of wheat cv. UP 2338 were co-transformed using 'Biolistic' approach with plasmid vectors pBC-17 and pEmuKON carrying genes for anthocyanin pigmentation and kanamycin resistance, respectively. On an average 83 purple coloured spots were observed per embryo. Transformants surviving selection on kanamycin were recovered at a frequency of 1.89 percent. In contrast, mature embryos of a responsive genotype CPAN 3004 were bombarded separately with vectors pBC-17 and pDM 803 carrying genes for resistance to herbicide 'Basta'. Transient expression assays detected an average of 89 blue spots per embryo with pDM 803 and 211 purple spots per embryo with pBC-17. Eight putative transformants resistant to selection against Basta were recovered with an efficiency of 2.2 percent, which is comparable with the transformation efficiency using immature embryos.
