Abstract: A method for in vitro regeneration of fertile Gossypium plants is provided in which cells from the transition region tissue of seedlings is excised and cultured. The transition region tissue of cotton seedlings extends from the uppermost portion of the root and into the hypocotyl region. Transformed cells are regenerated into homogeneously transformed plants by means of somatic embryogenesis on hormone-free medium. A method for production of transgenic Gossypium plants capable of transmitting a foreign gene to progeny is also described in which cells derived from the transition region tissue of seedlings are targeted for transformation. The method increases the number of different cotton genotypes that can be used to make stably transformed plants capable of transmitting the foreign gene to progeny.