Compositions and methods for modulating male fertility in a plant are provided. Compositions comprise nucleotide sequences, and fragments and variants thereof, which modulate male fertility. Further provided are expression cassettes comprising the male fertility polynucleotides, or fragments or variants thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotides modulates the male fertility of a plant. Various methods are provided wherein the level and/or activity of the sequences that influence male fertility is modulated in a plant or plant part. In certain embodiments, the plant is polyploid.

The present invention relates to barley sequences comprising anther-specific promoter activity. Provided are recombinant genes comprising the anther-specific promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleic acid sequence, and cells, plants and seeds comprising the recombinant gene. The promoters can be used to alter gene expression specifically in the anthers.

The present invention is directed to promoters that have particular utility in driving root-specific expression of heterologous genes that impart increased agronomic, horticultural and/or pesticidal characteristics to a given transgenic plant. The present invention is also drawn to DNA molecules comprising the promoters of the invention and transformed plant tissues containing DNA molecules comprising a promoter of the invention operably linked to a heterologous gene or genes, and seeds thereof.

The invention provides methods and compositions for identifying transgenic seed that contain a transgene of interest, but lack a marker gene. Use of an identification sequence that results in a detectable phenotype increases the efficiency of screening for seed and plants in which transgene sequences not linked to a gene of interest have segregated from the sequence encoding a gene of interest.

Sorghum plants are provided which are capable of inducing haploidy by modifications in the genome related to a pollen-specific expressed patatin phospholipid producing haploid offspring and can be produced for hybrid breeding in short time by chromosome doubling inbred lines, that is, homozygous father and mother lines. In addition, methods are provided for producing transgenic and non-transgenic plant haploid inducers and improving the induction performance of plants.

Pairs of plants are provided in which complementing constructs result in suppression of a parental phenotype in the progeny. Methods to generate and maintain such plants and methods of use of said plants, are provided, including use of parental plants to produce sterile plants for hybrid seed production. Also provided are methods for maintaining a homozygous recessive condition and for repressing transmission of transgenes.

Compositions and methods are provided for screening wheat seed for sorting and selection. Compositions comprise polynucleotides and polypeptides, and fragments and variants thereof, which encode and express a screenable color marker in seeds. Expression cassettes comprise a plant-derived polynucleotide, or fragment or variant thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotide modulates the color, opacity, fluorescence, or other property of the seed. The plant-derived marker can be used in a male-sterile production system of hybrid wheat seed. Methods for maintaining a line of male-sterile plants and for restoring male fertility in a male-sterile plant, comprising a screenable color marker are provided.

The present invention pertains to a method of expressing a protein of interest, preferably a heterologous protein, in preferably a plant. In a preferred embodiment said plant is a doubled haploid homozygous transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plant silenced for Ntp303. Furthermore, the invention relates to said plant with or without nucleic acid constructs according to the invention. Propagation, harvest and tissue material of said transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plant is also a part of the invention.

Compositions and methods for modulating male fertility in a plant are provided. Compositions comprise nucleotide sequences, and fragments and variants thereof, which modulate male fertility. Further provided are expression cassettes comprising the male fertility polynucleotides, or fragments or variants thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotides modulates the male fertility of a plant. Various methods are provided wherein the level and/or activity of the sequences that influence male fertility is modulated in a plant or plant part. In certain embodiments, the plant is polyploid. Compositions and methods using promoter inverted repeats to modulate male sterility in plants are provided as well as compositions and methods for restoring fertility.

Compositions and methods are capable of modulating male fertility in a plant. Compositions comprise polynucleotides and polypeptides, and fragments and variants thereof, which modulate male fertility. Expression cassettes comprise a male-fertility polynucleotide, or fragment or variant thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotide modulates the male fertility of a plant. The level and/or activity of a polynucleotide that influences male fertility is modulated in a plant or plant part. Regulatory sequences drive expression in a male-tissue-preferred manner and may be targets to downregulate an operably linked gene. Methods to track mutations that induce nuclear recessive male sterility in subsequent selfing and crossing of wheat lines containing the mutations are also provided. Male-sterile plants may be maintained by pollinating with a maintainer plant.