A method of treating dicot seedlings comprises contacting dicot seedlings with a composition comprising at least one cyclopropene one or more times prior to transplanting the dicot seedlings. A method of treating crop plants comprises contacting crop plants one or more times with a composition comprising at least one cyclopropene while the crop plants are at a specific development stage, such as reproductive stage.

An electrical energy processing unit of an apparatus to kill a plant or at least attenuate plant growth is disclosed. The electrical energy processing unit includes a converter and a control circuit. Also disclosed are an apparatus that includes the electrical energy processing unit and a method of utilizing the apparatus. Further disclosed are a computer program for a processor of the control circuit of the electrical energy processing unit and a non-transitory computer readable medium that includes the computer program.

An electrical energy processing unit of an apparatus to kill a plant or at least attenuate plant growth is disclosed. The electrical energy processing unit includes a converter and a control circuit. Also disclosed are an apparatus that includes the electrical energy processing unit and a method of utilizing the apparatus. Further disclosed are a computer program for a processor of the control circuit of the electrical energy processing unit and a non-transitory computer readable medium that includes the computer program.

The subject invention provides compositions and methods of using the same for improving plants' defense by employing naturally-derived chemicals. In a specific embodiment, the composition is from Parthenium argentatum Gray, also known as the guayule plant. Preferred compositions can up-or down-regulate growth genes responsible for the targeted plants' defense mechanisms in order to create physical and/or chemical barriers, and produce detouring exudates, antagonistic compounds, or fumigating compounds that prevent and treat damages from pests in agronomic or non-agronomic plants.

The subject invention provides compositions and methods of using the same for improving plants' defense by employing naturally-derived chemicals. In a specific embodiment, the composition is from Parthenium argentatum Gray, also known as the guayule plant. Preferred compositions can up-or down-regulate growth genes responsible for the targeted plants' defense mechanisms in order to create physical and/or chemical barriers, and produce detouring exudates, antagonistic compounds, or fumigating compounds that prevent and treat damages from pests in agronomic or non-agronomic plants.

The subject invention provides compositions and methods of using the same for improving plants' defense by employing naturally-derived chemicals. In a specific embodiment, the composition is from Parthenium argentatum Gray, also known as the guayule plant. Preferred compositions can up-or down-regulate growth genes responsible for the targeted plants' defense mechanisms in order to create physical and/or chemical barriers, and produce detouring exudates, antagonistic compounds, or fumigating compounds that prevent and treat damages from pests in agronomic or non-agronomic plants.

The subject invention provides compositions and methods of using the same for improving plants' defense by employing naturally-derived chemicals. In a specific embodiment, the composition is from Parthenium argentatum Gray, also known as the guayule plant. Preferred compositions can up-or down-regulate growth genes responsible for the targeted plants' defense mechanisms in order to create physical and/or chemical barriers, and produce detouring exudates, antagonistic compounds, or fumigating compounds that prevent and treat damages from pests in agronomic or non-agronomic plants.

Provided herein are plants that reduce growth of a fungal pathogen, increase resistance of the plant to a fungal pathogen, or a combination thereof. The plant includes a polynucleotide that reduces expression of a coding region present in a fungal pathogen, such as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum or Botrytis cinerea. The polynucleotide can be present on the surface of the plant, expressed by a plant, or a combination thereof. Also provided are methods of making and methods of using the plants.

The present disclosure provides products, compositions, and methods for improving nitrogen use efficiency in tobacco plants, including e.g., Burley tobacco. This disclosure further provides genetic markers for tracking enhanced nitrogen use efficiency phenotypes in tobacco plants and for introgressing enhanced nitrogen use efficiency phenotypes into tobacco plants. The disclosure also provides tobacco plants comprising enhanced nitrogen use efficiency and methods to the creation of tobacco plants comprising enhanced nitrogen use efficiency.

This invention is directed to methods of inducing apomixis in a sexual eukaryote or inducing sexual reproduction in an apomictic eukaryote. More particularly, this invention provides methods of switching from meiosis to apomeiosis and from syngamy to parthenogenesis in a plant. The invention also provides methods of producing an apomictic eukaryote from a sexual eukaryote and a sexual eukaryote from an apomictic eukaryote.