Described are methods for promoting increase in plant biomass and yield. This increase has its visible effects in organs such as leaf, stem, root and production of fruits and seeds. Further described is the increase in tolerance of those plants to drought, generating plants better adapted to the environmental changes, improving their growth, biomass and yield.

The present invention provides the identification and use of EG261, homologs of EG261, orthologs of EG261, paralogs of EG261, and fragments and variations thereof for altering, e.g. increasing, pathogen tolerance and/or resistance in plants.

The present disclosure includes methods of producing genetically modified plants with a detectable new phenotype via combined silencing of a meristem maintenance gene and genetic manipulation of a second gene. Also included are genetically modified plants having engineered genetic modifications including a silenced meristem maintenance gene and a genetic modification of a second gene and systems for co-modifying meristem maintenance and other genes in a plant.

Provided are (i) a tobacco plant which is suitable for cultivation for harvesting leaf tobaccos, (ii) a method of obtaining the tobacco plant, (iii) a harvest from the tobacco plant, and (iv) a processed product of the harvest. The present invention encompasses (i) a tobacco plant into which a mutation for suppressing the development of primary axillary buds is introduced, (ii) a method of obtaining the tobacco plant, (iii) a harvest from the tobacco plant, and (iv) a processed product of the harvest.

Provided is a tobacco plant which is suitable for cultivation for harvesting leaf tobaccos. The present invention encompasses (i) a tobacco plant into which a mutation for suppressing the development of primary axillary buds is introduced, (ii) a method of obtaining the tobacco plant, (iii) a harvest from the tobacco plant, and (iv) a processed product of the harvest.

Disclosed herein is a unique molecular marker in sorghum genome for conferring broad range fungal resistance trait, and the use of the molecular marker to manipulate resistance in sorghum. A disease resistance gene called ANTHRACNOSE RESISTANCE GENE 1 (ARG1) and a negative regulator, i.e. antisense transcripts of ARG1, called CARRIER OF ARG (CARG) for the fungi resistance gene are knocked out within a quantitative trait locus (QTL).

Disclosed herein are artificially synthesized nucleic acid constructs to guide an epigenetic modification for at least partially silencing or activating a target gene in an organism such as a plant or seed, and formulations thereof. Also disclosed are methods of applying such nucleic acid constructs to the plant or to the seed. Also disclosed are engineered seeds and plants obtained by the epigenetic modification.

Provided are an isolated polynucleotide and a method for controlling insect invasion. The isolated polynucleotide is a plurality of target sequences for controlling target gene c35112 of a coleopteran pest, Monolepta hieroglyphica, comprising: a) a polynucleotide sequence shown as SEQ ID NO: 1; or (b) a polynucleotide sequence having at least 15 or 17 or 19 or 21 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 1, a double-stranded RNA comprising at least one strand complementary to the polynucleotide sequence being capable of inhibiting the growth of coleopteran pests after being ingested by the coleopteran pests; or (c) any one of polynucleotide sequences shown as SEQ ID NO: 3 to SEQ ID NO: 20; or (d) a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a polynucleotide sequence as defined in (a), (b) or (c).

This invention relates to CRISPR-Cas nucleases codon optimized for expression in plants and nucleic acid constructs encoding base editors comprising a CRISPR-Cas nuclease and a deaminase domain, wherein the nucleic acid constructs are optimized for expression in a plant. The invention further relates to methods of modifying nucleic acids using the nucleic acid constructs.

The present invention relates to processes for producing industrial products such as hydrocarbon products from non-polar lipids in a vegetative plant part. Preferred industrial products include alkyl esters which may be blended with petroleum based fuels.