An object of the present invention is to provide an F1 hybrid or a portion thereof, and use of the F1 hybrid or a portion thereof. The F1 hybrid of the present invention is an F1 hybrid between Nicotiana umbratica and Nicotiana kawakamii.

The present invention relates to a method of modulating the alkaloid content of a plant or a part thereof, the method comprising modifying said plant by modulating the activity or expression of at least one gene encoding a BTB/POZ NPH3 domain-containing protein. The present invention also relates to a method of reducing the content of at least one tobacco specific nitrosamine (TSNA) precursor in tobacco, the method comprising modulating the activity or expression of at least one gene encoding a BTB/POZ NPH3 domain-containing protein.

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.

The object of an embodiment of the present invention is to improve the quality of a tobacco product. The present invention relates to a tobacco plant in which a mutation is introduced in a genome, the mutation causing suppression of a function of a specific endogenous gene.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a tobacco plant having a low alkaloid content. In the tobacco plant, a function of a gene encoding aspartate oxidase AO2 is suppressed.

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.

The present invention provides a method for modulating (e.g. decreasing) the nicotine content of a plant (e.g. a tobacco plant) or part thereof, or tobacco plant cell, the method comprising modifying said plant or cell providing at least one mutation in a Nic3 locus. The present invention provides a method for modulating (e.g. decreasing) the nicotine content of a plant (e.g. a tobacco plant) or part thereof, or tobacco plant cell, the method comprising modifying said plant or cell to modulate the expression or activity of at least one Nic3 gene. The present invention also provides for the use of the Nic3 locus for modulating the alkaloid content of a plant, as well as tobacco cells, plants, plant propagation materials, harvested leaves, processed tobaccos, or delivery systems obtainable in accordance with the invention.

An object of the present invention is to provide an F1 hybrid plant or a portion thereof, and use of the F1 hybrid plant or a portion thereof. The F1 hybrid plant of the present invention is an F1 hybrid plant between Nicotiana umbratica and Nicotiana tomentosa.

There is described herein a plant cell (i) a polynucleotide comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a sequence having at least 60% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1 (NtSULTR3;1A-S), SEQ ID NO: 3 (NtSULTR3;1A-T), SEQ ID NO: 5 (NtSULTR3;1B-S), SEQ ID NO: 7 (NtSULTR3;1B-T), SEQ ID NO: 15 (NtSULTR3;3-T), SEQ ID NO: 17 (NtSULTR3;4A-S), SEQ ID NO: 19 (NtSULTR3;4A-T) or SEQ ID NO: 23 (NtSULTR3;4B-T); (ii) a polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide set forth in (i); (iii) a polypeptide comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a sequence having at least 87% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 (NtSULTR3;1A-S) or at least 87% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 4 (NtSULTR3;1A-T) or at least 87% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 6 (NtSULTR3;1B-S), or at least 88% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 8 (NtSULTR3;1B-T), or at least 70% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 16 (NtSULTR3;3-T), or at least 84% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 18 (NtSULTR3;4A-S) or at least 79% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 20 (NtSULTR3;4A-T); or at least 87% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 24 (NtSULTR3;4B-T); or (iv) a construct, vector or expression vector comprising the isolated polynucleotide set forth in (i), wherein said plant cell comprises at least one modification which modulates (a) the expression or activity of the polynucleotide or (b) the expression or activity of the polynucleotide the polypeptide, as compared to a control plant cell in which the expression or activity of the polynucleotide or polypeptide has not been modified.

The present invention “A Molecular marker Nicotine Associated SNP 1 for identifying high or nicotine content of tobacco and its kit as well as use thereof” belongs to field of molecular biology technology. The molecular marker Nicotine Associated SNP 1 is a SNP Nitab4.5_0002539:95304 A/G at base No. 95304 of Genomic segment No. 0002539 in tobacco genome version of Nitab v4.5 Genome Scaffolds Edwards2017. The present invention can accurately identify and screen tobacco germplasm resources with high or low nicotine content, and the screened tobacco can be directly used for breeding new tobacco varieties without transgenic methods. At the same time, gene sequence where the SNP site is located can also significantly activate promoters of key enzyme genes in nicotine synthesis pathway.