The present disclosure provides a genomics-assisted prediction method for apple fruit quality traits and disease resistance and use thereof, and belongs to the technical field of plant genetics, genomics and breeding. The method is achieved by molecular markers. There are a total of 319 molecular markers, including 318 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and 1 InDel marker; and the molecular markers are associated with 16 traits of the Malus genus, including fruit ripening date, fruit shape, fruit cover color degree, fruit weight, soluble solid content, fruit juice pH value, malate content, chlorogenate content, procyanidin B2 content, flesh firmness at harvest, flesh crispness at harvest, flesh firmness retainability, flesh crispness retainability, fruit ring rot disease resistance, Glomerella leaf blotch resistance, and spur tree architecture. The molecular markers of the present disclosure can be used for apple germplasm resource evaluation and breeding, and can greatly improve apple breeding efficiency and shorten breeding cycle.

The present disclosure provides the identification of genes involved in sucker growth in tobacco. Also provided are promoters that are preferentially active in tobacco axillary buds. Also provided are modified tobacco plants comprising reduced or no sucker growth. Also provided are methods and compositions for producing modified tobacco plants comprising reduced or no sucker growth.

Disclosed are methods of producing plants with an improved regeneration efficiency using Growth-Regulating Factor (GRF), GRF-Interacting Factor (GIF), or chimeric GRF-GIF genes and proteins. The disclosure also provides plants with an improved regeneration efficiency that are produced by the disclosed methods, methods of reducing the use of exogenous cytokinins in the regeneration of plants, and methods of improving the regeneration efficiency of plants.

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.

Methods and compositions disclosed herein relate to genes involved in plant production and methods of using the same.

The invention relates to methods of increasing grain size and/or weight in a plant, as well as plants with increased grain size and/or weight.

The present disclosure provides modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants that are semi-dwarf and have one or more improved ear traits relative to a control plant, such as increase in ear area, increased single kernel weight, increased ear fresh weight, increased number of florets, and mitigated flowering delay. The modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants comprise a transgene encoding one or more CONSTANS (CO) or CONSTANS-like (COL) polypeptide and have a reduced expression of one or more GA20 or GA3 oxidase genes. Also provided are methods for producing the modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants.

A transgenic plant which exhibits a growth capacity which is enhanced compared to that of a host plant, and has a chimeric protein of a peptide containing an amino acid sequence derived from a motor domain of myosin XI of a donor plant 1, which is a plant species other than the host plant, and a peptide containing an amino acid sequence derived from a domain other than the motor domain of myosin XI of a donor plant 2, which is the host plant or a plant species other than the host plant, the transgenic plant being characterized in that the motor domain loop 2 region has EEPKQGGKGGGKSSFSSIG or EEPKQGGGKGGSKSSFSSIG, and in addition to these sequences, has an amino acid sequence in which one to six amino acids have been deleted, replaced or added.

Methods for improving the efficiency and productivity of hybrid corn seed production are provided herein. Various methods to improve the transfer of pollen from male corn plants to female corn plants, and thus increase yield, are provided herein. Without being limiting, these methods include varying the height of male and female corn plants in a field, as well as varying the number, arrangement, and ratio of male-to-female rows in a field.

A use of a ZmSBP12 gene in the regulation of drought resistance, plant height, and ear height of Zea mays L. is provided. After the ZmSBP12 gene is over-expressed in Zea mays L., the resulting Zea mays L. mutant plant exhibits increased drought resistance and decreased plant and ear heights. The overexpression of the ZmSBP12 gene leads to increased drought resistance and decreased plant and ear heights, indicating that the ZmSBP12 gene plays a crucial role in the drought resistance and plant type (plant height) of Zea mays L. The expression abundance of the ZmSBP12 gene is increased to improve the drought resistance of Zea mays L. and reduce the plant and ear heights of Zea mays L., which can be used for the assisted breeding of novel drought-resistant and lodging-resistant Zea mays L. varieties and the breeding of excellent inbred lines and hybrids of Zea mays L.