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.

Novel activators of the APC complex and methods and uses of these activators are provided. In particular, the activators are used for increasing resistance to stress and/or increasing lifespan in a plant or mammalian cell, in a plant or mammalian embryo or in a plant or subject. The activators are also used for treating cancer in a subject.

The present invention relates to a method for introducing a substance into a plant. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of: obtaining an enzymatically treated and isolated fertilized egg cell by (1-i) isolating a fertilized egg cell from a plant tissue containing a fertilized egg cell, and then treating the fertilized egg cell with an enzyme solution containing a plant tissue-degrading enzyme under a low-titer condition, (1-ii) treating a plant tissue containing a fertilized egg cell with an enzyme solution containing a plant tissue-degrading enzyme under a low-titer condition, and then isolating the fertilized egg cell that has been enzymatically treated, (1-iii) treating a plant tissue containing a fertilized egg cell with an enzyme solution containing a plant tissue-degrading enzyme under a low-titer condition, and simultaneously isolating the fertilized egg cell that has been enzymatically treated, (1-iv) isolating an egg cell and a sperm cell from a plant to produce a fertilized egg by fusing the cells, and then treating the fertilized egg cell with an enzyme solution containing a plant tissue-degrading enzyme under a low-titer condition, or (1-v) treating a plant tissue containing an egg cell with an enzyme solution containing a plant tissue-degrading enzyme under a low-titer condition, and then isolating the egg cell that has been enzymatically treated, and further fusing the egg cell with an isolated sperm cell; and (2) introducing a substance selected from the group consisting of nucleic acids, proteins, and peptides into the resultant enzymatically treated and isolated fertilized egg cell.

An method of generating and selecting mutant Cannabis plants through mutagenesis of isolated Cannabis plant cells includes subjecting plant parts of one or more Cannabis plants to a pectinase treatment to obtain living cells of the one or more Cannabis plants, suspending the living cells in a mutagenic solution comprising methane sulfonate (EMS) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to obtain mutated Cannabis cells, centrifuging the mutated Cannabis cells to obtain pelleted cells, and providing the pelleted cells on culture media.

An method of generating and selecting mutant Cannabis plants through mutagenesis of isolated Cannabis plant cells includes subjecting plant parts of one or more Cannabis plants to a pectinase treatment to obtain living cells of the one or more Cannabis plants, suspending the living cells in a mutagenic solution comprising methane sulfonate (EMS) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to obtain mutated Cannabis cells, centrifuging the mutated Cannabis cells to obtain pelleted cells, and providing the pelleted cells on culture media.

A method for generating new varieties of Cannabis plants with modified growth and cannabinoid phytochemical profiles includes subjecting plant parts of one or more Cannabis plants to pectinase digestion to release plant cells, centrifuging the released plant cells to obtain pelleted cells, and providing the pelleted cells on culture media. The pelleted cells are plated on a first culture media, which is a Murashige and Skoog or Gamborg B5 callus culture media.

This invention is direct to methods of switching from sexual reproduction to apomixis or from apomixis to sexual reproduction in a eukaryote. More particularly this invention provides methods of switching from meiosis to apomeiosis and from syagamy 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 apomietic eukaryote.

The invention may include engineered antimicrobial peptides to treat HLB disease, preferably in citrus plants. Specifically, the invention may include novel antimicrobial peptide derived from amphipathic helical peptides that may further be used to treat HLB disease in citrus plants. In one embodiment, the invention may include an engineered antimicrobial peptide formed by coupling two amphipathic helical peptides. Specifically, a generalized antimicrobial peptide of the invitation may include a first amphipathic helical peptide coupled with a second amphipathic helical peptide by a linker domain forming a helix-turn-helix scaffold formation. Such amphipathic helical peptides may be endogenous to a target host, preferably a citrus plant.

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 downregulate 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.