The present invention clones a gene ZmNLP5 from maize, which plays an important regulatory role in nitrogen assimilation, and the open reading frame of which has a DNA sequence shown as SEQ ID NO:1. The transcription factor protein encoded by the ZmNLP5 gene has an amino acid sequence shown as SEQ ID NO:2. The uses of the maize NLP transcription factor ZmNLP5 mentioned above in promoting expression of a nitrogen metabolic key enzyme gene ZmNIR1.1, in promoting expression of a nitrogen metabolic key enzyme gene ZmNIR1.2, in promoting expression of a nitrogen metabolic key enzyme gene ZmNR1.1, in promoting expression of a nitrogen metabolic key enzyme gene ZmNR1.2, in improving nitrogen assimilation in maize, and in promoting elongation growth of maize root in deficient nitrogen environment are further provided.

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 relates to a transgenic plant, preferably of the Brassica spp. genus, comprising in its genome a fungal sequence, preferably belonging to the fungus Trichoderma harzianum, capable of establishing symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi. Additionally, the transgenic plants of the invention have an increased biomass and higher resistance to abiotic stress. The present invention also provides methods for increasing the resistance to abiotic stress of plants of the Brassica spp. genus, as well as methods for obtaining said transgenic plants with the capacity to establish mycorrhization processes and resistance to abiotic stress and methods for producing foods, feeds or industrial products using the transgenic plant.

The invention provides recombinant DNA molecules and constructs, as well as their nucleotide sequences, useful for modulating gene expression in plants. The invention also provides transgenic plants, plant cells, plant parts, and seeds comprising the recombinant DNA molecules operably linked to heterologous transcribable DNA molecules, as are methods of their use.

The invention provides methods of engineering plants having lignin deposition or xylan deposition that is substantially localized to the vessels of xylem tissue in the plant. The invention also provides methods of engineering plants to increase production of a desired biosynthetic product, e.g., to have increased secondary cell wall deposition or increased wax/cutin accumulation. The engineered plants of the present invention have use in bioenergy production, e.g., by improving the density and the digestibility of biomass derived from the plant and to improve water usage requirements.

This invention relates to compositions and methods for modifying root architecture in a plant through modification of endogenous DEEPER ROOTING 1 (DRO1) nucleic acids. The invention further relates to plants produced using the methods and compositions of the invention.

Endophytic microbial strains as biocatalysts isolated from fresh plant samples, their compositions, and methods of use thereof to enhance the growth and/or yield of a plant in the presence of reduced (synthetic or otherwise) nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are provided. The selected endophytic microbial strains serve as biocatalysts to solubilize organic (proteinaceous) nitrogen otherwise unavailable to plants for their nutritional needs. In addition, selected endophytic microbial strains serve as biocatalysts to solubilize mineral-P and mineralize organic-P otherwise unavailable to plants for their nutritional phosphate needs. Thus defined, biocatalysts will serve to replace or reduce the requirement of (synthetic or otherwise) nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. Also provided are materials and methods for inoculating plants with these biocatalysts at carefully selected inoculum densities to reliably reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers by 30-50% thus accomplishing optimal yields in a cost-effective manner.

The present invention is directed to a transgenic maize plant or a part thereof comprising as transgene a nucleic acid capable of expressing a cell wall invertase or a functional part thereof, preferably a Chenopodium rubrum cell wall invertase or a functional part thereof, wherein as a result of the expression of the cell wall invertase or a functional part thereof the transgenic maize plant exhibits an enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress and/or an increased yield, to a method of producing such transgenic maize plant, to method of enhancing the tolerance to abiotic stress of a maize plant and/or of increasing yield potential of a maize plant, to a nucleic acid capable of expressing a cell wall invertase or a functional part thereof, preferably a Chenopodium rubrum cell wall invertase or a functional part thereof, to a vector comprising such nucleic acid, the use of the nucleic acid or vector for enhancing the tolerance to abiotic stress of a maize plant, for increasing yield potential of a maize plant and/or for protecting a maize plant against abiotic stress, and to a method for production of ethanol or methane from transgenic maize plant or a part thereof of the invention.

The present disclosure provides a transgenic corn comprising event MON87403 that exhibits increased grain yield. The disclosure also provides cells, plant parts, seeds, plants, commodity products related to the event, and DNA molecules that are unique to the event and were created by the insertion of transgenic DNA into the genome of a corn plant. The disclosure further provides methods for detecting the presence of said corn event nucleotide sequences in a sample, probes and primers for use in detecting nucleotide sequences that are diagnostic for the presence of said corn event.

Provided is an application of EmBP1 gene or protein thereof, said gene belonging to the bZIP family of zinc finger proteins, the agronomic traits of a plant being significantly improved when the expression of EmBP1 is raised, comprising: regulating the expression of photosynthetic genes, improving photosynthetic efficiency, improving electron transfer efficiency, increasing yield, biomass, plant height, and increasing the number of tillers, etc. The EmBP1 gene can be used as a target to regulate plant agronomic traits, and is applicable to plant breeding.