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 isolated nucleic acid molecules and their corresponding encoded polypeptides able confer the trait of improved plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass in plants challenged with saline conditions. The present invention further relates to the use of these nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides in making transgenic plants, plant cells, plant materials or seeds of a plant having plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass that are improved in saline conditions with respect to wild-type plants grown under similar conditions.

Provided are methods of increasing nitrogen use efficiency, fertilizer use efficiency, yield, growth rate, vigor, biomass, oil content and/or abiotic stress tolerance of a plant by expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 2560, 2557, 184, 238, 188, 154-156, 158-161, 163-183, 185-187, 189-197, 200-237, 239-264, 266-269, 1351, 1365-1425, 1429-1457, 1459, 1461-1730, 1735, 1739-2397, 2533-2541, 2544-2556, 2558, 2559, 2561-2562 or 2563. Also provided are isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides which can be used to increase nitrogen use efficiency, fertilizer use efficiency, yield, growth rate, vigor, biomass, oil content and/or abiotic stress tolerance of a plant of a plant.

Polynucleotides and isolated polypeptides, nucleic acid constructs comprising the isolated polynucleotides, transgenic plants expressing same and methods of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant are disclosed.

Provided are isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 474-643, 645-679, 681-755, 757-760, 4806-6390, 6395-6396, 6401-6895, 6897-7249, 7251-7685, 7687-7693, 7695-7700, 7702-7708, 7710-7796, 7798-7816, 7818, 7820-7837, 7839-7840, 7842-7861, 7863-8134, 8136-8163 or 8164, isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 1-170, 172-267, 269-424, 426-473, 761-2486, 2489-2494, 2496-4803 or 4804, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells expressing same, transgenic plants expressing same and method of using same for increasing yield, harvest index, abiotic stress tolerance, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

Provided are isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 474-643, 645-679, 681-755, 757-760, 4806-6390, 6395-6396, 6401-6895, 6897-7249, 7251-7685, 7687-7693, 7695-7700, 7702-7708, 7710-7796, 7798-7816, 7818, 7820-7837, 7839-7840, 7842-7861, 7863-8134, 8136-8163 or 8164, isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 1-170, 172-267, 269-424, 426-473, 761-2486, 2489-2494, 2496-4803 or 4804, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells expressing same, transgenic plants expressing same and method of using same for increasing yield, harvest index, abiotic stress tolerance, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

Provided are isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NOs: 529, 475-528, 530-770, 6179-9796, 9798-10421, isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 314, 1-313, 315-474, 771-6178, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells expressing same, transgenic plants expressing same and method of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

Corn plants exhibiting broad-spectrum resistance to Exserohilum turcicum are provided, together with methods of producing, identifying, or selecting plants or germplasm with a Exserohilum turcicum resistance phenotype. Such plants include sweet corn plants as well as agronomically elite dent corn plants comprising introgressed genomic regions conferring disease resistance. Compositions, including novel polymorphic markers and methods for producing, breeding, identifying, and selecting plants or germplasm with a disease resistance phenotype are further provided.

The present invention relates to a nucleic acid construct. The nucleic acid construct includes a nucleic acid molecule configured to silence or reduce the expression of StBEL11 and/or StBEL29 and variants thereof, a 5′ DNA promoter sequence, and a 3′ terminator sequence, where the first nucleic acid molecule, the promoter sequence, and the terminator sequence are operatively coupled to permit transcription of the first nucleic acid molecule. The present invention is also directed to vectors, host cells, transgenic plants, and transgenic plant seeds, as well as non-transgenic mutant plants, and methods for altering tuber yield in a plant.

The present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules and their corresponding encoded polypeptides able confer the trait of improved plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass in plants challenged with saline conditions. The present invention further relates to the use of these nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides in making transgenic plants, plant cells, plant materials or seeds of a plant having plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass that are improved in saline conditions with respect to wild-type plants grown under similar conditions.