Transcription factor polynucleotides and polypeptides incorporated into nucleic acid constructs, including expression vectors, have been introduced into plants and were ectopically expressed. Transgenic plants transformed with many of these constructs have been shown to have increased tolerance to an abiotic stress (in some cases, to more than one abiotic stress), increased growth, and/or increased biomass. The abiotic stress may include, for example, salt, hyperosmotic stress, water deficit, heat, cold, drought, and/or low nutrient conditions.

The invention relates to gene expression regulatory sequences from soybean, specifically to the promoter of a soybean actin depolymerizing factor gene and fragments thereof and their use in promoting the expression of one or more heterologous nucleic acid fragments in a constitutive manner in plants. The invention further discloses compositions, polynucleotide constructs, transformed host cells, transgenic plants and seeds containing the recombinant construct with the promoter, and methods for preparing and using the same.

The invention relates to gene expression regulatory sequences from soybean, specifically to the promoter of a soybean copper chaperone homolog gene and fragments thereof and their use in promoting the expression of one or more heterologous nucleic acid fragments in a constitutive manner in plants. The invention further discloses compositions, polynucleotide constructs, transformed host cells, transgenic plants and seeds containing the recombinant construct with the promoter, and methods for preparing and using the same.

Compositions and methods for increasing plant yield are provided. The methods comprise increasing the expression of an anxin synthase gene or coding sequence in the shoot meristem and inflorescence of a plant. The compositions comprise DNA constructs comprising an auxin synthase coding sequence operably linked to a promoter that preferentially drives expression in the shoot meristem and inflorescence of a plant. Also provided are plants, plant cells, plant tissues, and seeds that have been transformed with the DNA construct.

Provided are isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NOs: 496-794, 2898-3645, and 3647-4855, isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 1-495 and 795-2897, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells expressing same, transgenic plants expressing same and method of using same for increasing fertilizer use efficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, and/or abiotic stress tolerance of a plant.

A gene having novel functions is searched for, by which plant weight (that is, biomass level) can be increased and by which substance productivity can be increased or decreased. A chimeric protein is expressed in which a transcriptional factor comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, or 6 is fused to a functional peptide that converts an arbitrary transcriptional factor into a transcriptional repression factor.

The invention provides protease genes which are regulated in a specific manner during curing of tobacco plants material and which affect the flavour of cured tobacco.

The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and describes nucleic acids encoding regulatory elements capable of affecting expression of a coding sequence. The regulatory elements described herein may be used to direct the expression of a heterologous coding region in the green tissues and upon exposure to light in plants. The invention may also be used to create transgenic plants having improved characteristics, such as yield.

The invention relates to methods and compositions for modifying naturally non-mycorrhizal plants to produce modified plants that can be colonized by a mycorrhizal fungus having increased nitrogen and phosphorus uptake, increased drought tolerance/resistance, increased resistance to fungal and/or bacterial pathogens, and/or increased growth rate, yield and/or biomass production of a naturally non-mycorrhizal plant. The invention further relates to plants, plant parts, and/or plant cells produced by the methods of the invention as well as harvested and processed products from the plants, plant parts, and/or plant cells.

The present invention is directed to plants that display an improved oil quantity phenotype or an improved meal quality phenotype due to altered expression of an HIO nucleic acid. The invention is further directed to methods of generating plants with an improved oil quantity phenotype or improved meal quality phenotype.