The invention relates to novel plants, seeds and compositions, as well as improvements to plant breeding and methods for creating modifications in plant genomes.

A genetically engineered land plant that expresses a protein that has homology to a plant invertase inhibitor and/or a pectin methylesterase inhibitor and that increases seed yield with increased expression (“an ISY protein”) is disclosed. The plant comprises a modified gene for the ISY protein. The ISY protein comprises one or more of an ISY protein of Camelina sativa comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or a fragment, Camelina sativa homolog, or ortholog thereof. The modified gene comprises a promoter and a nucleic acid sequence encoding the ISY protein. The promoter is non-cognate with respect to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the ISY protein. The modified gene is configured such that transcription of the nucleic acid sequence is initiated from the promoter and results in expression of the ISY protein. A genetically engineered land plant that expresses an RNA that increases seed yield with increased expression also is disclosed.

This disclosure provides recombinant DNA constructs and transgenic plants having enhanced traits such as increased yield, increased nitrogen use efficiency and enhanced drought tolerance; propagules, progeny and field crops of such transgenic plants; and methods of making and using such transgenic plants. This disclosure also provides methods of producing seed from such transgenic plants, growing such seed and selecting progeny plants with enhanced traits. Also disclosed are transgenic plants with altered phenotypes which are useful for screening and selecting transgenic events for the desired enhanced trait.

Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and recombinant DNA constructs, suppression DNA constructs and CRISPR/Cas9 DNA constructs are provided. Compositions (such as plants or seeds) with modified expression or activity of the isolated polypeptides are obtained by transforming the regenerable plant cell with a suppression DNA construct or CRISPR/Cas construct. The plants with improving drought tolerance are obtained by decreasing the expression or activity of the isolated polynucleotide.

Transgenic plants having enhanced yield and having enhanced seed yield are disclosed. The transgenic plants are transformed with a transgenic polynucleotide encoding one or more metabolic enzymes. The metabolic enzymes can be from any biological source. The transgenic polynucleotide(s) comprises a nucleic acid sequences encoding the metabolic enzymes under the control of functional plant promoters, the one or more metabolic enzymes are targeted to the plastids by the addition of plastid targeting signals. Optionally the functional plant promoters are seed specific promoters and the metabolic enzymes are targeted to the plastids by the addition of plastid targeting peptide heterologous to the metabolic enzymes. Methods of making the transgenic plants and transgenic polynucleotides are disclosed. The magnitude of the increases in seed yield achieved with these transgenic plants are unprecedented.

Methods and materials for modulating low-nitrogen tolerance levels in plants are disclosed. For example, nucleic acids encoding low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides are disclosed as well as methods for using such nucleic acids to transform plant cells. Also disclosed are plants having increased low-nitrogen tolerance levels and plant products produced from plants having increased low-nitrogen tolerance levels.

The present invention is directed to a transgenic plant and a method for producing the same. In particular, the present invention is directed to a transgenic plant or a plant cell in which a nucleic acid molecule encoding an m.sup.6A demethylase is introduced, wherein said m.sup.6A demethylase has the following two domains: i) N-terminal domain (NTD) having the function of AlkB oxidation demethylase; and ii) C-terminal domain (CTD). The present invention is also directed to a method for producing said plant, comprising introducing a nucleic acid molecule encoding an m.sup.6A demethylase into a regenarable plant cell, and regenerating a transgenic plant from the regenerable plant cell.

The present disclosure relates to methods of screening for gain of function mutations in non-coding regions of target genes. The target genes may be NPQ genes, including photosystem II subunit S (PsbS), zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP), and violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE). The present disclosure further relates to methods of improving commercial crop plants or crop seeds by introducing gain of function mutations in non-coding regions of target genes, and to improved commercial crop plants or crop seeds produced by the methods.

Methods and materials for modulating biomass levels in plants are disclosed. For example, nucleic acids encoding biomass-modulating polypeptides are disclosed as well as methods for using such nucleic acids to transform plant cells. Also disclosed are plants having increased biomass levels and plant products produced from plants having increased biomass levels.

The present invention relates to novel plants, in particular to pepper plants capable of producing fruits which can be kept a longer period of time on the plant as well as being stored after harvesting under refrigerated conditions without exhibiting excessive softening. The invention thus refers to pepper plant which produces fruits with significantly increased fruit firmness at the harvesting stage, wherein said increased fruit firmness is controlled by a genetic determinant, monogenic, wherein said increased fruit firmness is defined as a fruit deformation under a 1 kg load force that is lower than that of a fruit from a control pepper plant which does not have the said genetic determinant.