The present disclosure provides tobacco Nic1b locus and associated genes (e.g., a group of ERF genes). Also provided are tobacco plants with altered total alkaloid and nicotine levels and commercially acceptable leaf grade, their development via breeding or transgenic approaches, and production of tobacco products from these tobacco plants. Further provided are compositions and methods for producing tobacco plants having novel mutations or alleles to reduce nicotine levels. Further provided are sequence polymorphisms and molecular markers for breeding tobacco with reduced nicotine or alkaloids while maintaining tobacco leaf grade and tobacco product quality.

In order to provide tobacco resistant to a virus, tobacco in accordance with the present invention is arranged such that: (i) a translation initiation factor eIF(iso)4E protein which is non-functional with respect to a virus is produced or (ii) expression of a translation initiation factor eIF(iso)4E gene is suppressed; and (a) a translation initiation factor eIF4E2 protein, which is non-functional with respect to a virus, is produced or (b) expression of a translation initiation factor eIF4E2 gene is suppressed.

A method of increasing the level of isomyosmine in a tobacco plant that includes genetically modifying the tobacco plant to induce the tobacco plant to produce a tobacco with increased levels of isomyosmine in the tobacco. Further, the tobacco may have decreased levels of nicotine. In some examples, the decreased levels of nicotine are the result of a second genetic modification to the tobacco plant.

The present disclosure provides metabolic signatures and genetic markers for tracking enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency phenotypes in tobacco plants and for introgressing enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency phenotypes into tobacco plants. The disclosure also provides tobacco plants comprising enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency and methods to the creation of tobacco plants comprising enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency. The disclosure also provides recombinant polynucleotides and polypeptides for enhancing nitrogen utilization efficiency in modified tobacco plants and tobacco plants comprising the provided recombinant polynucleotides and polypeptides.

Methods and compositions are disclosed to improve biomass accumulation in Truncated Light-harvesting Antenna (TLA) crop plant canopies as compared to biomass accumulation measured in wild-type counterparts grown under the same high canopy-density, agronomic, and ambient sunlight conditions.

The present disclosure provides approaches for reducing tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in tobacco. Some of these approaches include genetically engineering tobacco plants to increase one or more antioxidants, increase oxygen radicle absorbance capacity (ORAC), increase phenylalanine, or reduce nitrite. Also provided are methods and compositions for producing modified tobacco plants and tobacco products therefrom comprising reduced TSNAs.

This application provides high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics and development of these plants via breeding. This application also provides hybrid seeds that give rise to high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics. This application provides methods of growing and harvesting high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics. This application further provides tobacco products made from high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics, and methods making such tobacco products.

Compositions and methods for reducing the level of nornicotine and N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) in Nicotiana plants and plant parts thereof are provided. The compositions comprise isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides for cytochrome P450s that are involved in the metabolic conversion of nicotine to nornicotine in these plants. Expression cassettes, vectors, plants, and plant parts thereof comprising inhibitory sequences that target expression or function of the disclosed cytochrome P450 polypeptides are also provided. Methods for the use of these novel sequences to inhibit expression or function of cytochrome P450 polypeptides involved in this metabolic conversion are also provided. The methods find use in the production of tobacco products that have reduced levels of nornicotine and its carcinogenic metabolite, NNN, and thus reduced carcinogenic potential for individuals consuming these tobacco products or exposed to secondary smoke derived from these products.

This application provides high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics and development of these plants via breeding. This application also provides hybrid seeds that give rise to high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics. This application provides methods of growing and harvesting high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics. This application further provides tobacco products made from high yielding tobacco plants with Oriental tobacco aroma and flavor characteristics, and methods making such tobacco products.

The invention provides combining certain genetic mutations in plants to increase sugar levels in the vegetative tissues of the plants. The specific combinations of mutations yield increased oil production in the vegetative tissues. In one embodiment, a plant comprises two mutations, wherein the two mutations are an adg1 mutation and a suc2 mutation. In one embodiment, a plant comprises three mutations, wherein the three mutations are an adg1 mutation, a suc2 mutation and a sdp1 mutation, or comprises an adg1 mutation, a suc2 mutation and a tt4 mutation. In one embodiment, the plant comprises four mutations, wherein the four mutations are an adg1 mutation, a suc2 mutation, an sdp1 mutation, and a tgd1 mutation, or comprises an adg1 mutation, a suc2 mutation, a tt4 mutation and a tgd1 mutation.