The present invention discloses a method of isolating secondary metabolites, specifically arjunolic acid, from the calli and/or the suspension cultures derived from the pluripotent cambium tissue of Terminalia arjuna. The invention also discloses a method of inducing callus, establishing and maintaining suspension cultures of callus derived from the cambium of Terminalia arjuna for the isolation of secondary metabolites.

Novel cultivars of Stevia rebaudiana plant, with a novel genetic trait of self-compatibility, and the advantageous use of this genetic trait in Stevia rebaudiana crossing breeding for increasing steviol glycosides production, including food and beverage products and other consumables, are disclosed.

Various methods and compositions are provided for identifying and/or selecting a soybean plant or soybean germplasm with one or more preferred or desired reproductive growth phenotypes. In certain embodiments, the method comprises detecting at least one allele of one or more marker locus within or linked to a QTL associated with days to initiation of flowering. In other embodiments, the method additionally comprises detecting at least one allele of one or more marker locus within or linked to a QTL associated with days to maturity. In further embodiments, the method comprises crossing a selected soybean plant with a recurrent soybean parent plant. Further provided herein are marker loci, marker alleles, primers, probes, and kits suitable for identifying and/or selecting soybean plants or soybean germplasms with one or more reproductive growth phenotypes.

Examples of an automated micropropagation system for plant tissue culture is provided. The system comprises a culture vessel that comprises a number of detachable culture items that are designed with a plurality of culture cells sized to accept a single plantlet. Such culture vessel is fed into the system to an automated gripper and cutter assembly that is configured to grip the plantlets, cut them and transfer them into a new culture vessel.

The present invention provides a method for improving a one-time seedling rate of microspore embryoids of Brassica campestris ssp. Chinensis Makino, including the steps of: spraying 6-BA onto a flower bud of a plant; sterilizing the flower bud with alcohol and HgCl.sub.2; releasing microspores, filtering and centrifuging to obtain purified microspores; diluting the microspores with a NLN medium, subpackaging into culture dishes, and adding phytic acid; finally, subjecting to heat shock treatment and transferring to culture in the dark until embryoids appear, and then conducting shaking culture; transferring the cultured embryos in a cotyledon stage onto a MS medium for differentiation culture, wherein the culture conditions are: 4° C., 14 h of illumination by blue-red compound light/day, and 14 days of culture; and then continuing to culture under the condition of 25° C. and 14 h of illumination by blue-red compound light/day until seedlings.

It comprises a receptacle for the culture of plant material, a cap for closing an opening to said receptacle, and means for allowing the entry and/or exit of gas from said receptacle, and is characterized in that it comprises a container for receiving a liquid culture medium inside the receptacle, and support means for supporting the plant material on said reception container, wherein said container is attached to the lid of the receptacle in a position suitable for use, said lid including at least one medium inlet and/or exit conduit that connects with the container to be able to fill and/or empty said container through said conduit.

An aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming a plant body having a desired three dimensional shape. A method of producing a plant body in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes the step of forming a three-dimensional body which contains plant cells having differentiation ability.

A Stevia extract made from leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant is described. The extract has desired levels of steviol glycosides and is useful in food, beverage, and other consumable products.

The invention relates to the grafting of perennial monocots such as bananas and oil palms. Processes for the production of such plants are disclosed herein.

The present invention provides a longitudinally split immature tiller separated from a rhizome (LSITR), a cluster of multiple in vitro shoots (CMIT), a cluster of stem segments containing shoot primordia (CSSSP) and an in vitro tiller of Miscanthus x giganteus (Giant Miscanthus), and their uses in propagating Miscanthus x giganteus (Giant Miscanthus).