A method for increasing biomass and sugar yield of a plant comprising: transforming a plant with a first gene that is functional in a plant, wherein said gene is pleitropic, and wherein said plant overexpresses said gene, thereby increasing biomass and sugar yield; producing said plant through molecular breeding using information of said gene; and cultivating said plant.

Described herein are devices and methods for increasing the production of steviol glycosides, which have industrial and economic value. The steviol glycosides produced by the devices and methods disclosed herein do not require the ultra purification that is common in conventional or commercial methods and do not have a bitter aftertaste, making them better suited as flavor-enhancing additives to food, pharmaceutical, and nutritional supplement products.

An expression vector that includes a polynucleotide having a heterologous regulatory element operably linked to a polynucleotide sequence derived from Solanum tuberosum and encoding a xylosyltransferase capable of glycosylating gentisic acid to produce gentisic acid 5-O-β-D xylopyranoside, a transcription template having such a polynucleotide and adapted for in vitro transcription in a cell-free system, a method for producing gentisic acid 5-O-β-D xylopyranoside by culturing a recombinant host cell containing such an expression vector under conditions in which the cell expresses the xylosyltransferase from the polynucleotide, and a method for producing gentisic acid 5-O-β-D xylopyranoside by contacting a composition including gentisic acid and UDP-xylose with a recombinant xylosyltransferase. The recombinant host cell containing such an expression vector can be a bacterial cell, a plant cell, or a fungal cell, an animal cell, or a multicellular organism such as a plant.

The present invention relates to a coding gene of the SOSEKI protein SOK2 and an application thereof, wherein through molecular regulation of the SOSEKI protein SOK2, the flowering time of Panicum virgatum is delayed, biomass is increased, lignin content in the cell wall of Panicum virgatum is reduced and the fermentable sugar yield is boosted.

Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) seed, seed lots, seed meal, and compositions with reduced glucosinolate content as well as plants that yield such seed, seed lots, seed meal, and compositions are provided. Methods of making and using the pennycress plants and/or seed that provide such seed, seed lots, seed meal, and compositions are also provided.

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to lignin-modifying enzymes and systems and methods of their manufacture. In many embodiments, the lignin-modifying enzymes are lignin-degrading enzymes capable of breaking down lignin into component parts that are usable for other purposes. Several embodiments are directed to systems for producing lignin-modifying enzymes in vivo, including in yeast and/or plant species, and certain embodiments are directed to methods of creating these systems, including transfecting the species to produce lignin-modifying enzymes.

The present invention relates to transgenic plants, or parts thereof, with modified traits, as well as methods of selecting and using these plants or parts. In particular, the present invention relates to a transgenic plant, or part thereof, comprising a first exogenous polynucleotide which encodes a transcription factor polypeptide that increases the expression of one or more glycolytic and/or fatty acid biosynthetic genes in the plant or part thereof, and a second exogenous polynucleotide which encodes a polypeptide involved in the biosynthesis of one or more non-polar lipids. Furthermore, in addition to an increased triacylglycerol (TAG) content relative to a corresponding wild-type plant or part thereof, the plant or part thereof have a modified phenotype selected from; an increased soluble protein content, an increased nitrogen content, a decreased carbon:nitrogen ratio, increased photosynthetic gene expression, increased photosynthetic capacity, decreased total dietary fibre (TDF) content, increased carbon content and an increased energy content.

Methods and materials for modulating biomass composition in plants are disclosed. For example, nucleic acids encoding biomass composition-modulating polypeptides are disclosed as well as methods for using such nucleic acids to transform plant cells. Also disclosed are plants having altered biomass composition and plant products produced from plants having altered biomass composition.

Methods and materials for modulating biomass composition in plants are disclosed. For example, nucleic acids encoding biomass composition-modulating polypeptides are disclosed as well as methods for using such nucleic acids to transform plant cells. Also disclosed are plants having altered biomass composition and plant products produced from plants having altered biomass composition.

The invention provides compositions and methods relating to the elevation of glucoraphanin compared to standard Brassica oleracea varieties. The invention also relates to the production of hybrid varieties having desired glucosinolate contents. The invention further provides plants, plant parts, and seeds comprising such traits and comprising a Myb28 allele from Brassica villosa that is not genetically linked to an ELONG allele from Brassica villosa.