COMPARISON OF THE GROWTH AND STRESS TOLERANCE BETWEEN TRANSGENIC Artemisia annua VARIETIES AND ITS WILD-TYPE
The basic agronomic characteristics of transgenic A. annua lines and the wild-type were evaluated, and the physiological responses to the drought and salt stress of three transgenic A. annua varieties and wild-type were compared by determining the relative water content of leaves, POD, proline and so on. The results indicated that there were significant differences in plant height and stem diameter between transgenic A. annua varieties ANF176, GFH13 and wild-type, in crown width and 1000-seeds weight between transgenic A. annua variety SQS159 and wild-type. The difference between three transgenic A. annua varieties and wild-type in other agronomic characteristics was not significant. Moreover, under the experiment condition transgenic A. annua varieties and the wild-type had similar stress tolerances to salt and drought. Three transgenic A. annua lines and the wild-type were not tolerant to the two herbicides,paraquat and s-metolachlor.