The present invention relates to optimized systems for the genome editing of eukaryotic cells, preferably plant cells. Also provided is a plant delivery system comprising at least one Cpf1 enzyme, or a plant optimized construct encoding the same, to be synergistically combined with a Cpf1 guide RNA system. Further provided is a Cpf1 guide RNA system being flanked by a Hammerhead ribozyme sequence at the 5′ end and by a plant-derived Hepatitis Delta Vims (HDV)-like ribozyme sequence at the 3′ end, or being embedded within a coding or non-coding region, of a sequence encoding a frame sequence. Novel plant-derived HDV-like ribozyme sequences are also provided. Further provided are methods for improved genome editing, and the use of the various systems provided herein to obtain transformed plants, plant cells, tissues, organs, or a progeny thereof, or a plant material, modified in a targeted way even at difficult to access target sites.

The present invention relates to an ALS inhibitor herbicide tolerant Beta vulgaris plant and parts thereof comprising a mutation of an endogenous acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene, wherein the ALS gene encodes an ALS polypeptide containing an amino acid different from tryptophan at a position 569 of the ALS polypeptide.

The present invention describes a non-transgenic approach to produce truncated glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) genes and the corresponding truncated gene product in plants. More particularly, the invention relates to the removal of the calcium-calmodulin binding domain (CaM-BD) from plant GADs using site-directed mutagenesis or gene-editing techniques. The removal of the CaM-BD from plant GADS results in an active GAD enzyme that is not regulated by the CaM-BD, which increases gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) production in plant cells, organs or whole plants. Non-transgenic plants with truncated GAD have agronomic benefits, including increased GABA, biomass, yield, sugar, and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stressors. In addition, GABA from plants could be used as nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, or therapeutic compounds or as a supplement in animal feed or for animal feed or as an enhancer for plant growth or yield.

A more efficient breeding against Cercospora leaf spot disease, or the development of new resistant lines, is enabled via the provision of the Cercospora resistance-mediating gene according to the invention; in particular, a dominant resistance effect in the target plant is evoked by the property of the identified gene alone. The Cercospora resistance-mediating gene, and embodiments of the present invention that are described in the preceding, offer additional applications, e.g., the use of the resistant gene allele in cis-genetic or trans-genetic approaches, with the goal of developing new resistant cultivars.

The present invention relates to an ALS inhibitor herbicide tolerant Beta vulgaris plant and parts thereof comprising a mutation of an endogenous acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene, wherein the ALS gene encodes an ALS polypeptide containing an amino acid different from tryptophan at a position 569 of the ALS polypeptide.

A more efficient breeding against Cercospora leaf spot disease, or the development of new resistant lines, is enabled via the provision of the Cercospora resistance-mediating gene according to the invention; in particular, a dominant resistance effect in the target plant is evoked by the property of the identified gene alone. The Cercospora resistance-mediating gene, and embodiments of the present invention that are described in the preceding, offer additional applications, e.g., the use of the resistant gene allele in cis-genetic or trans-genetic approaches, with the goal of developing new resistant cultivars.

The present invention provides means for inhibiting the bolting and flowering of a Beta vulgaris plant, including an isolated nucleic acid, which can be used to produce a transgenic Beta vulgaris plant, where bolting and flowering is inhibited after vernalization. Furthermore, the invention discloses vectors, transgenic and non-transgenic, non-bolting plants and parts thereof, and methods for producing such plants.

Provided herein are Beta vulgaris plants resistant to Cercospora. Also provided herein are methods for identifying Cercospora resistant Beta vulgaris plants, methods for providing Cercospora resistant Beta vulgaris plants and means for identifying Cercospora resistant Beta vulgaris plants. Specifically, provided herein are Cercospora-resistant Beta vulgaris plants including a first Cercospora resistance providing genomic fragment on chromosome 4, wherein said first Cercospora resistance providing genomic fragment includes at least one sequence from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15.

A more efficient breeding against Cercospora leaf spot disease, or the development of new resistant lines, is enabled via the provision of the Cercospora resistance-mediating gene according to the invention; in particular, a dominant resistance effect in the target plant is evoked by the property of the identified gene alone. The Cercospora resistance-mediating gene, and embodiments of the present invention that are described in the preceding, offer additional applications, e.g., the use of the resistant gene allele in cis-genetic or trans-genetic approaches, with the goal of developing new resistant cultivars.

A more efficient breeding against plant disease, or the development of new resistant lines, is enabled via the provision of the resistance-mediating gene according to the invention; in particular, a resistance effect in the target plant is evoked by the property of the identified gene. The resistance-mediating gene, and embodiments of the present invention that are described in the preceding, offer additional applications, e.g., the use of the resistant gene allele in trans-genetic approaches, with the goal of developing new resistant cultivars.