The present invention relates to excision of explant material comprising meristematic tissue from cotton seeds. Methods for tissue preparation, storage, transformation, and selection or identification of transformed plants are disclosed, as are transformable meristem tissues and plants produced by such methods, and apparati for tissue preparation.

The present invention relates to methods of synthesizing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, in recombinant cells such as yeast or plant cells. Also provided are recombinant cells or plants which produce long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a group of new enzymes which possess desaturase or elongase activity that can be used in methods of synthesizing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. In particular, the present invention provides ω3 destaurases, Δ5 elongases and Δ6 desaturases with novel activities. Also provided are methods and DNA constructs for transiently and/or stably transforming cells, particularly plant cells, with multiple genes.

The present invention relates to excision of explant material comprising meristematic tissue from cotton seeds. Methods for tissue preparation, storage, transformation, and selection or identification of transformed plants are disclosed, as are transformable meristem tissues and plants produced by such methods, and apparati for tissue preparation.

Use of an isolated Ensifer adhaerens strain OV14 deposited under NCIMB Accession Number 4177, or an isolated variant thereof characterized by a 16S rRNA gene having at least 98.6% sequence homology with SEQUENCE ID NO: 1, as a gene delivery system in the genetic transformation of a plant cell or plant material is described.

Numerous plant microbes, including the vascular-limited Candidatus spp.—causal agents of citrus greening and potato zebra chip diseases—are non-culturable. The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to compositions, methods and systems for culturing such organisms. For example, the present disclosure relates to methods for culturing, propagating, and characterizing fastidious vascular-colonizing microbes using a hairy root system (e.g., in vitro, in planta). The present disclosure relates, in some embodiments, to methods for cultivating a fastidious plant microbe including: contacting a plant (e.g., a tomato plant, a potato plant, a citrus plant) colonized by a fastidious plant microbe (e.g., Xylella fastidiosa, Candidatus Liberibacter spp.) with a suspension of R. rhizogenes under conditions that permit induction of hairy roots colonized with the fastidious plant microbe, and propagating the colonized microbial hairy roots.

Compositions and methods for modifying genomic DNA sequences are provided. The methods produce double-stranded breaks (DSBs) at pre-determined target sites in a genomic DNA sequence, resulting in mutation, insertion, and/or deletion of DNA sequences at the target site(s) in a genome. Compositions comprise DNA constructs comprising nucleotide sequences that encode a Cpf1 or Csm1 protein operably linked to a promoter that is operable in the cells of interest. The DNA constructs can be used to direct the modification of genomic DNA at pre-determined genomic loci. Methods to use these DNA constructs to modify genomic DNA sequences are described herein. Additionally, compositions and methods for modulating the expression of genes are provided. Compositions comprise DNA constructs comprising a promoter that is operable in the cells of interest operably linked to nucleotide sequences that encode a mutated Cpf1 or Csm1 protein with an abolished ability to produce DSBs, optionally linked to a domain that regulates transcriptional activity. The methods can be used to up- or down-regulate the expression of genes at predetermined genomic loci.

Methods and compositions for Ochrobactrum-mediated transformation of plants are provided. Methods include but are not limited to using an Ochrobactrum strain to transfer a polynucleotide of interest to a plant cell. These include VirD2-dependent methods. Compositions include an Ochrobactrum strain, transfer DNAs, constructs and/or plasmids. These include Ochrobactrum strains having a plasmid comprising one or more virulence gene(s), border region, and/or origin of replication. Plant cells, tissues, plants, and seeds comprising a polynucleotide of interest produced by the methods are also provided.

The invention provides nucleotide sequences and amino acid sequences of the Dipgene as well as (functional) homologues, fragments and variants thereof, which provides diplospory as a part of apomixis. Also diplospory plants and methods for making these are provided, as are methods of using these, and methods of making apomictic seed.

The present invention provides for a polypeptide capable of dominant suppression of a first naturally occurring IRX10, wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 70% identity as compared to a second naturally occurring IRX10 wherein the polypeptide comprises one or more of the conserved amino acid indicated in FIG. 2 substituted with a different amino acid residue.

Methods and compositions for increasing, improving or enhancing gene editing efficiency are provided. Configurations of Ochrobactrum and Agrobacterium based vector components such as CRISPR Cas endonucleases and guide RNAs are provided that improve efficiency of targeted genome modification.