☘️ Cardamine: India’s Homegrown Model for Plant Science?

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:blue_book: CUBE ChatShaala Summary | 27th July 2025

Today’s session focused on genetic engineering in Cardamine and comparing it to Arabidopsis as a potential model system for plant biology in India.

:microscope: 1. Genetic Engineering in Cardamine – Floral Dip Method

The session introduced the step-by-step process of plant genetic transformation using the floral dip method.

  • DNA is extracted from a donor plant.

  • The DNA is introduced via Agrobacterium-mediated floral dip, transforming Cardamine plants.

  • Successful transformation is expected to lead to heritable changes in future generations.

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:test_tube: 2. Why Cardamine Over Arabidopsis as a Model Plant?

Cardamine hirsuta is emerging as a promising alternative to Arabidopsis thaliana for plant science in India:

  • Naturally growing in Indian conditions, unlike Arabidopsis which requires strict temperature control.

  • It completes its lifecycle quickly (in ~6–8 weeks), produces abundant seeds, and responds to transformation via the floral dip method at measurable efficiencies (~0.1%) .

  • Genetically, Cardamine’s genome has been fully assembled, enabling detailed comparative studies with Arabidopsis, especially on leaf morphology and gene function (e.g., the RCO gene) .

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:brain: Queries & Provocations for CUBE Community

  1. Can Cardamine replace Arabidopsis in Indian school and college labs—and why might that matter?

  2. What traits make Cardamine well-suited for genetic engineering experiments like floral dip?

  3. Could comparing leaf development in Cardamine and Arabidopsis help us understand plant evolutionary biology at a deeper level?

  4. Should CUBE students across India collaborate on building a shared Cardamine genetic library?

:receipt: Personal Learning Reflection

  • I learned that Cardamine is proving itself as a homegrown alternative to Arabidopsis, tailored to Indian ecosystems and lab conditions.

  • Its accessibility, fast life cycle, and ease of transformation make it an excellent candidate for decentralised genetic education and experiments.

  • I was especially intrigued by how comparative studies between Cardamine and Arabidopsis have revealed key genes (like RCO) influencing leaf shape and evolution—highlighting the value of local models in global biology.

:books: Reference

Let’s build a future where Indian students grow, transform, and research with a plant that naturally grows in our own backyards.

@Arunan @KiranKalakotiR @2020ugchsncnseethala @SN1261 @sakshiconsultant2002 @magpie and others.