Objective  Stable transgenic glyphosate-tolerant strains of maize were obtained by screening T₀-T₃ generations of the genetically modified plants for the presence of EPSPS after an artificial exposure to glyphosate in the field.

  Method  The gene, EPSPS, responsible for a maize plant to resist the herbicide was transferred into the excellent inbred line Jing 92 by means of the pollen tube pathway method. Expression of the introduced gene in maize was verified by molecular detection after exposing to glyphosate in the field.

  Result   Fifteen resistant plants from T₀ generation of the transgenic maize plants were identified after a treatment of 200 mg·L⁻¹ glyphosate, and 10 by PCR. The genetic transformation rate was 1.03%. The identified plants were further scrutinized to eliminate non-resistant-gene-carriers. The proportion of confirmed carriers among the plants increased from the T₁ to the T₃ generation. Out of 5 strains in T₃ generation, K3 and K8 were confirmed to have positively integrated EPSPS and be hereditarily stable. A test strip functional analysis on the two strains further verified the presence of the target gene.

  Conclusion  The K3 and K8 transgenic lines identified by this study could plausibly be used to breed glyphosate-tolerant maize plants for cultivation.