This invention relates to polynucleotide sequences encoding a gene that can confer resistance to the plant pathogen Colletotrichum, which causes anthracnose stalk rot, leaf blight and top dieback in corn and other cereals. It further relates to plants and seeds of plants carrying chimeric genes comprising said polynucleotide sequences, which enhance or confer resistance to the plant pathogen Colletotrichum, and processes of making said plants and seeds. The invention further presents sequences that can be used as molecular markers that in turn can be used to identify the region of interest in corn lines resulting from new crosses and to quickly and efficiently introgress the gene from corn lines carrying said gene into other corn lines that do not carry said gene, in order to make them resistant to Colletotrichum and resistant to stalk rot.

The present invention provides a drought tolerance associated protein, DT1, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the DT1 protein and application thereof.

Described herein are compositions comprising at least one auxin transport inhibitor for pre-treating a plant or seed to increase saccharification, or saccharide release by hydrolysis, the at least one auxin transport inhibitor being in an amount effective to increase sugar release from a plant tissue by hydrolysis. Also described are plant mutations, and methods to screen for such plant mutations, having an improved sugar release phenotype. The described compositions, methods and plant mutations are particularly useful for producing biofuel crops, such as maize, to improve sugar extractability from lignocellulosic biomass and hence, the efficiency of bioethanol production overall.

The present invention provides an inbred corn line designated LCI7002, methods for producing a corn plant by crossing plants of the inbred line LCI7002 with plants of another corn plant. The invention further encompasses all parts of inbred corn line LCI7002, including culturable cells. Additionally provided herein are methods for introducing transgenes into inbred corn line LCI7002, and plants produced according to these methods.

By analyzing a Jatropha genome, NF-YB-encoding genes of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 11, fragments of NF-YB-encoding genes of SEQ ID NOs: 12 and 13, and genes relating thereto were found. By transforming Jatropha with these NF-YB-encoding genes and the like, it is possible to overexpress a NF-YB polypeptide and so on, and to significantly improve the productivity of protein synthesis involved by the NF-YB polypeptide, and to significantly improve the dry stress resistance, for example. As a result, it is possible to create dry stress resistant Jatropha capable of ensuring high growth even under water deficient conditions.

The present invention provides use of a plant gene JAZ5a for improving drought-resistance of a plant. It further provides a method for improving the drought-resistance of a plant, comprising enhancing the expression or activity of Jaz5A in said plant.

The present invention provides methods for obtaining plants that exhibit useful traits by transient suppression of the MSH1 gene of the plants. Methods for identifying genetic loci that provide for useful traits in plants and plants produced with those loci are also provided. In addition, plants that exhibit the useful traits, parts of the plants including seeds, and products of the plants are provided as well as methods of using the plants.

Polynucleotides, polypeptides, plant cells expressing same and methods of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance water use efficiency (WUE), fertilizer use efficiency (FUE), biomass, vigor and/or yield of a plant. The method is effected by expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:33, 34, 30, 27-29, 31, 32, 35-52, 1401-1403, 1405-1435, 1437-1494, 1496-1542, 1544-1553, 1555-1559, 1561-1827, 1829-1866, 1868-2450, 2453-2458, 2460-2463, 2465-2481, 2483, 2485-2746, 2765-2769, 3052-3065 and 3067-3259, thereby increasing the water use efficiency (WUE), the fertilizer use efficiency (FUE), the biomass, the vigor and/or the yield of the plant.

The present invention provides nucleic acids and methods for conferring resistance to bacterial disease in plants. The present invention also provides promoters and promoter sequences useful for controlling expression in transgenic plants.

Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides and recombinant DNA constructs useful for conferring drought tolerance, compositions (such as plants or seeds) comprising these recombinant DNA constructs, and methods utilizing these recombinant DNA constructs. The recombinant DNA construct comprises a polynucleotide operably linked to a promoter that is functional in a plant, wherein said polynucleotide encodes a DTP6 polypeptide.