The present disclosure provides novel compositions and methods for the production and use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains (for example LBA4404) that are deficient in RecA activity relative to the parent strain. Combinations with other gene-deficient-strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens are also disclosed. Specifically, two exemplary s recA minus strains, UIA777 where chloramphenicol resistant gene disrupting the recA gene and UIA770 where kanamycin resistant gene disrupting the recA gene are provided.

Certain embodiments of the invention provide methods of selecting a mutant plant cell that overproduces a compound that activates an estrogen receptor (ER) beta but does not activate an ER alpha.

The disclosure relates to a T-DNA binary vector based on bean yellow dwarf virus (BeYDV) that reduces plant cell death and increases transgene expression. In one aspect, the T-DNA region comprise a replicon cassette comprising a rep gene or a repA gene with a mutated translation initiation region. The disclosure also relates to replicating geminiviral expression system based on BeYDV comprising with an expression cassette a sequence encoding Rep and a sequence encoding the promoter of ubiquitin-3 from potato with ubiquitin fusion; an expression cassette comprising a sequence encoding RepA and a sequence encoding the promoter of ubiquitin-3 from potato with ubiquitin fusion; and an expression cassette comprising a promoter region, a 5′ UTR, a sequence encoding a recombinant protein, and a 3′ UTR. These expression cassettes are on different T-DNA cloning vectors or on one T-DNA cloning vector.

A gene RNAi vector is constructed with a V-ATPase subunit E gene fragment, a COO2 gene fragment, or a combination of the V-ATPase subunit E gene fragment and the COO2 gene fragment, then transferred into a plant, and expressed in the plant to produce dsRNA of the V-ATPase subunit E gene, the COO2 gene, or the combination of the V-ATPase subunit E gene and the COO2 double gene, and therefore the aphid growth is suppressed, and the plant is enhanced in pest resistance.

Methods and means are provided to modify in a targeted manner the genome of a cotton plant using a double stranded DNA break inducing enzyme and embryogenic callus.

Methods and compositions for increasing, improving or enhancing gene editing efficiency are provided. Configurations of Ochrobactrum and Agrobacterium based vector components such as CRISPR Cas endonucleases and guide RNAs are provided that improve efficiency of targeted genome modification.

Modified Ochrobactrum strains, methods of producing such modified Ochrobactrum strains, and methods of using such modified Ochrobactrum strains for producing transformed plants are disclosed herein.

Described is a plant transformed with one or more genes originating from the Ri plasmid of Agrobacterium rhizogenes by infection with A. rhizogenes comprising the Ri plasmid, or being progeny of such a plant, said plant or progeny comprising, in the genome thereof, 1 to 5 copies said one or more genes originating from the Ri plasmid. Further, the use of such a plant or progeny thereof as ornamental plants, the use as field crop species, for food extracts, cosmetics, perfumes or as medicinal plants is disclosed. Further disclosed are methods for the preparation of such plants. Said plants display an intermediate height and/or with a higher content of metabolites without significant reduction of flower number or flowering time delay as compared to control plants void of Agrobacterium rhizogenes sequences.

This invention relates to a second generation, plant-produced synthetic Orbivirus candidate vaccine. The vaccine comprises a plant produced chimaeric Orbivirus virus like particle (VLP) comprising at least one structural protein from one Orbivirus serotype and at least one structural protein selected from another serotype of the Orbivirus, wherein both structural capsid proteins are from the same Orbivirus species. In particular the invention relates to a vaccine against an Orbivirus, a method of producing chimaeric Orbivirus virus-like particles (VLPs) for use in a method of prevention and/or treatment of an Orbivirus infection, the use of the chimaeric Orbivirus VLPs in the manufacture of a vaccine for an Orbivirus, and a method of preventing and/or treating an Orbivirus infection.

Materials and methods for gene targeting using Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas) systems are provided herein.