The invention provides three novel disarmed strains of Agrobacteriumtumefaciens bacteria useful for the transformation of plants. The invention provides three engineered A. tumefaciens Chry5 strains or bacterial cells thereof which comprise the Chry5 strain chromosomal background and a disarmed pTiChry5 vector, and methods of using said bacterial strains or cells for transformation of fungal or plant cells, in particular dicot or monocot plant cells, including soybean, maize, wheat, and sugarcane cells. The invention further relates to the transgenic plants created by these methods.

The present invention provides methods for improving competency of plant cells for bacterial-mediated transformation comprising contacting the plant cells with an effective amount of polyethylene glycol (PEG) for a period of time prior to transformation. The ability to store and maintain competent plant cells for transformation and tissue culture allows more efficient planning and execution of large-scale experiments by providing flexibility of peak production hours, or during unplanned disruptions in the production process. These methods are useful in preserving the viability of plant cells in various storage conditions, thus improving their competency for transformation and tissue culture.

An Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation method for sea barleygrass is provided. The method includes: S1, selecting immature embryo materials of sea barleygrass with immature embryos each having a length in a range of 0.5-1.0, sterilizing them with alcohol and sodium hypochlorite to obtain sterilized seeds; S2, separating the immature embryos, crosscutting the immature embryos, and inducing callus generation and proliferation; S3, adjusting pre-culture time and Agrobacterium infection time of calli based on the callus generation and Agrobacterium growth to thereby prevent excessive Agrobacterium liquid; and S4, performing adventitious bud induction culture and rooting induction culture under a shielding-formed low-light environment to obtain tissue culture plantlets. It relates to a tissue culture method for immature embryos of sea barleygrass with high green spot differentiation and plantlet formation rates, which is not limited by materials. A transformation and regeneration system has high genetic transformation and mutation efficiency.

The invention relates to binary vectors based on compatible and autonomous origins, specifically based on the pBBR1 and RK2 replication origins. These binary vectors are useful for having a wide range of hosts, for their maintenance in Agrobacterium sp. and Escherichia coli, and as a new tool for plant synthetic biology as well as a flexible framework for assembly, transfer and characterization of multiple DNA elements. The binary vectors disclosed are small, preferably less than 3.8 kb in size, stable, include an origin compatible with the most commonly used binary T-DNA vectors, comply with current standards for plant synthetic biology, and allow the administration of multiple T-DNA cassettes by means of the multiplexing of the vectors. The present invention also relates to methods for transferring and expressing nucleic acid sequences using said binary vectors, and to the uses of the same.

Compositions and methods for genome editing in sunflower are provided. Exemplary compositions include constructs for Cas endonuclease mediated genome editing of the FAD2-1 locus as well as sunflower plants, seeds and cells thereof which are modified using the disclosed compositions.

Provided herein are plants and plant parts containing mutation in LOX and/or FAD genes. Also disclosed are plants and plant parts comprising decreased LOX and/or FAD activity. Furthermore, provided herein are plants and plant parts, and products (e.g., protein compositions, oil) produced therefrom having reduced level of hexanal and/or hexanol, hexanol, linolenic acid, increased levels of oleic acid. Such plants, plant parts, and plant products can have improved flavor characteristics relative to the control WT plants. Plant oil having a high oleic acid content and a low linoleic/linolenic acid content is also provided. Also disclosed herein are methods and compositions of producing such plants and plant parts.

The present technology provides terpene synthase (TPS) promoters and TPS promoter consensus sequences from Cannabis, nucleotide sequences of the TPS promoters and consensus sequences, and uses of the promoters and consensus sequences for modulating the production of terpenes and other compounds in organisms The present technology also provides chimeric genes, vectors, and transgenic cells and organisms, including plant cells and plants, comprising the TPS promoters and consensus sequences. Also provided are methods for expressing nucleic acid sequences in cells and organisms using the TPS promoters and consensus sequences.

The present invention is directed to promoters that have particular utility in driving root-specific expression of heterologous genes that impart increased agronomic, horticultural and/or pesticidal characteristics to a given transgenic plant. The present invention is also drawn to DNA molecules comprising the promoters of the invention and transformed plant tissues containing DNA molecules comprising a promoter of the invention operably linked to a heterologous gene or genes, and seeds thereof.

The invention provides methods and compositions for identifying transgenic seed that contain a transgene of interest, but lack a marker gene. Use of an identification sequence that results in a detectable phenotype increases the efficiency of screening for seed and plants in which transgene sequences not linked to a gene of interest have segregated from the sequence encoding a gene of interest.

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.