Provided are compositions comprising polynucleotides and polypeptides for the improvement of agronomic traits in plants, in particular maize plants. Also provided are recombinant DNA constructs, plants, plant cells, seed, grain comprising the polynucleotides and/or polypeptides. Additionally, various methods of employing the polynucleotides and genetic modifications in plants, such as methods for increasing yield of a plant are also provided herein.

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic, saprophytic fungus that infects maize and other fatty acid-rich food and feed crops and produces toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites known as aflatoxins. In vitro studies showed a five-fold increase in antifungal activity of AGM182 (vs. tachyplesin1) against A. flavus. Transgenic maize plants expressing AGM182 under maize Ubiquitin-1 promoter were produced through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. PCR products confirmed integration of the AGM182 gene, while RT-PCR of maize RNA confirmed the presence of AGM182 transcripts. Maize kernel screening assay using a highly aflatoxigenic A. flavus strain (AF70) showed up to 72% reduction in fungal growth in the transgenic AGM182 seeds compared to isogenic negative control seeds.

Method of increasing protein content in a eukaryotic cell comprising an NF-YC4 gene comprising modifying the transcriptional repressor binding site; method of producing a plant with increased protein content comprising crossing and selecting for increased protein content; method of increasing resistance to a pathogen or a pest in a plant cell or plant comprising an NF-YC4 gene comprising modifying the transcriptional repressor binding site, alone or in further combination with expressing QQS in the plant cell or plant; method for producing a plant with increased resistance to a pathogen or a pest comprising crossing and selecting for increased resistance to the pathogen or the pest; a cell, collection of cells, tissue, organ, or organism, such as a plant, in which the NF-YC4 gene comprises a promoter comprising a transcriptional repressor binding site that has been modified so that the transcriptional repressor cannot prevent transcription of the NF-YC4; plants and hybrids thereof; and seeds.

The disclosure relates to methods of producing genome edited plant cells, genome edited plant calli, and genome edited plants with genome edits at multiple genomic sites. The disclosure also relates to systems and kits for producing genome edited plant cells with genome edits at multiple genomic sites. Disclosed methods include those where a guide RNA (gRNA) directed to a first genomic DNA site, a donor DNA template polynucleotide, and a polynucleotide comprising a DNA molecule encoding a second gRNA directed to a second genomic DNA site are introduced into a plant cell and genome edited cell having an insertion of the donor DNA template polynucleotide or fragment thereof in the first genomic DNA site and a DNA modification at the second genomic DNA site is selected.

The disclosure relates to methods of producing genome edited plant cells, genome edited plant calli, as well as genome edited plants. The methods comprise first introducing into a plant cell the polypeptide element(s) of a genome-editing system and, subsequently, introducing the polynucleotide element(s) of the genome-editing system into a plant cell that is already expressing the polypeptide element(s).

Methods of in vitro clonal propagation, regeneration and transformation in Cannabis are provided. Also provided is the use of such methods in improvements of cannabis cultivars such as via breeding.

A more efficient breeding against infestation with beet cyst nematode, or the development of new resistant lines, is enabled via the provision of the Heterodera resistance-mediating nucleic acid molecule according to the invention; in particular, a dominant resistance effect in the target plant is evoked by the property of the identified nucleic acid molecule. The Heterodera resistance-mediating nucleic acid molecule, and embodiments of the present invention that are described in the preceding, offer additional applications, e.g., the use of the resistant gene allele in cis-genetic or trans-genetic approaches, with the goal of developing new resistant cultivars.

Conventional gene transformation requires tissue culture, and some elite lines have very low transformation efficiency in tissue culture. The disclosure relates to methods of in planta transformation. In some aspects, an axillary meristem of a plant is wounded and contacted with a transformation agent. The wounded axillary meristem is then regenerated and treated with a selection step, resulting in transformed tissue that can produce transgenic seeds.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for identifying, selecting, and/or producing a soybean plant or germplasm resistant to Asian soybean rust using markers, genes and chromosomal intervals derived from Glycine max strain SX6907. Asian soybean rust resistant soybean seeds, plants, and germplasms are also provided.

Disclosed herein are methods for the production of Cannabis meristem explants from dry seeds. Also described are methods of transforming and gene editing using the Cannabis meristem explants disclosed herein.