Various methods and compositions are provided for identifying and/or selecting a soybean plant or soybean germplasm with one or more preferred or desired reproductive growth phenotypes. In certain embodiments, the method comprises detecting at least one allele of one or more marker locus within or linked to a QTL associated with days to initiation of flowering. In other embodiments, the method additionally comprises detecting at least one allele of one or more marker locus within or linked to a QTL associated with days to maturity. In further embodiments, the method comprises crossing a selected soybean plant with a recurrent soybean parent plant. Further provided herein are marker loci, marker alleles, primers, probes, and kits suitable for identifying and/or selecting soybean plants or soybean germplasms with one or more reproductive growth phenotypes.

The disclosure pertains to methods and compositions for the rapid and efficient transformation of plants. The disclosure further provides methods for producing a transgenic plant, comprising (a) transforming a cell of an explant with an expression construct comprising (i) a nucleotide sequence encoding a WUS/WOX homeobox polypeptide; (ii) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising two AP2-DNA binding domains; or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii); and (b) allowing expression of the polypeptide of (a) in each transformed cell to form a regenerable plant structure in the absence of exogenous cytokinin, wherein no callus is formed; and (c) germinating the regenerable plant structure to form the transgenic plant. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Examples of an automated micropropagation system for plant tissue culture is provided. The system comprises a culture vessel that comprises a number of detachable culture items that are designed with a plurality of culture cells sized to accept a single plantlet. Such culture vessel is fed into the system to an automated gripper and cutter assembly that is configured to grip the plantlets, cut them and transfer them into a new culture vessel.

A method of producing a stably transformed corn plant in a single container is demonstrated. This method allows for the automation of the transformation process and reduces labor, material, and ergonomic costs associated with traditional plant tissue culture systems.

The present invention provides a method for improving a one-time seedling rate of microspore embryoids of Brassica campestris ssp. Chinensis Makino, including the steps of: spraying 6-BA onto a flower bud of a plant; sterilizing the flower bud with alcohol and HgCl.sub.2; releasing microspores, filtering and centrifuging to obtain purified microspores; diluting the microspores with a NLN medium, subpackaging into culture dishes, and adding phytic acid; finally, subjecting to heat shock treatment and transferring to culture in the dark until embryoids appear, and then conducting shaking culture; transferring the cultured embryos in a cotyledon stage onto a MS medium for differentiation culture, wherein the culture conditions are: 4° C., 14 h of illumination by blue-red compound light/day, and 14 days of culture; and then continuing to culture under the condition of 25° C. and 14 h of illumination by blue-red compound light/day until seedlings.

The present invention provides a method for improving a one-time seedling rate of microspore embryoids of Brassica campestris ssp. Chinensis Makino, including the steps of: spraying 6-BA onto a flower bud of a plant; sterilizing the flower bud with alcohol and HgCl.sub.2; releasing microspores, filtering and centrifuging to obtain purified microspores; diluting the microspores with a NLN medium, subpackaging into culture dishes, and adding phytic acid; finally, subjecting to heat shock treatment and transferring to culture in the dark until embryoids appear, and then conducting shaking culture; transferring the cultured embryos in a cotyledon stage onto a MS medium for differentiation culture, wherein the culture conditions are: 4° C., 14 h of illumination by blue-red compound light/day, and 14 days of culture; and then continuing to culture under the condition of 25° C. and 14 h of illumination by blue-red compound light/day until seedlings.

The present invention relates to excision of explant material comprising meristematic tissue from seeds, and storage of such material prior to subsequent use in plant tissue culture and genetic transformation. Methods for tissue preparation, storage, and transformation are disclosed, as is transformable meristem tissue produced by such methods, and apparati for tissue preparation.

The present invention relates to a culturing apparatus for culturing potato tissue, the culturing apparatus including a culture table including a plurality of vertical frame parts erected to be spaced apart from each other and a horizontal frame part connecting the vertical frame parts, a shelf part which slidably moves on the horizontal frame part, on which a culture container which accommodates a plantlet cultured in a medium is seated and which includes a plurality of hole parts on a bottom surface thereof, a light emitting diode (LED) light source unit that is installed in the culture table and irradiates the culture container with a light beam, a condensation measurement unit that is installed in the shelf part and measures condensation generated in the culture container by irradiating the culture container with infrared rays, and a cooling unit that is installed in the culture table, is electrically connected to the condensation measurement unit, and circulates cooling water passing through the LED light source unit according to condensation information measured by the condensation measurement unit, and thus controls a temperature of the LED light source unit.

The present invention relates to a method for producing sterile flowering biomass, the method comprising: a) inoculating a temporary liquid immersion culture system containing a sterile culture medium containing at least one cytokinin with sterile plant material, b) growing leafy biomass, and c) inducing and maturing flower tissues from the leafy biomass, wherein flowering is induced by reducing the duration and/or frequency of the immersion of the plant material in the culture medium in step c) compared to step b). It further relates to a method for producing a component present in flowering biomass, using sterile flowering biomass obtained using the aforementioned method according to the invention.

The application provides a method for improving nutrient supply of female floral branches of Populus deltoides artificial hybridization. According to the technical links of the hybridization operation, the method separately integrates and improves the cultivation of female floral branch nutrient-supply seedlings (i.e., grafting rootstocks of floral branches), the pre-management of female floral branch nutrient-supply seedlings, the hydroponic management of floral branches, the Marching between female floral branches and rootstocks, the management of female floral branch nutrient-supply seedlings and the hydroponic management of female floral branches, so the goal of improving the seed-setting rate and quality of poplar hybrid seeds which came from the floral branches cultured in water has been achieved. Compared with the conventional method, the method of the invention not only can realize good seed quality, but also improve the seed-setting rate, and has a remarkable effect when applied to Populus deltoides artificial hybridization.