The present disclosure provides methods for increasing meiotic recombination in crop plants, as well as plants and seeds produced by such methods.

The invention provides methods for improving transformation efficiency of a plant. In some aspects, the methods according to the invention comprise the use of a WOX protein or WOX coding sequence, e.g., a nucleic acid encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 143 or a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85% identity with the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 143. Also provided are BABYBOOM coding sequences and methods of use thereof in improving transformation efficiency.

Plant cell fate and development is altered by treating cells with cellular reprogramming factors. Embryogenesis inducing embryogenesis factor genes and/or morphogenic developmental genes are used as cellular reprogramming factors, specifically comprising polypeptides or polynucleotides encoding gene products for generating doubled haploids or haploid plants from gametes. Maize microspores treated by contacting the isolated cells with an exogenous purified, recombinant embryogenesis inducing embryogenesis factor gene products and/or morphogenic developmental gene polypeptide results in embryogenesis. The gametes of a maize plant develop into embryoids when transformed with a genetic construct including regulatory elements and structural genes capable of acting in a cascading fashion to alter cellular fate of plant cells. Embryogenesis factor proteins and/or developmental morphogenic proteins expressed from a genetic construct are used for ex situ treatment methods and for in planta cellular reprogramming.

Isolated polynucleotides are provided. Each of the isolated polynucleotides comprise a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 121, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 95 or 96, wherein the polypeptide is capable of regulating cotton fiber development. Also provided are methods of using such polynucleotides for improving fiber quality and/or yield of a fiber producing plant, as well as methods of using such polynucleotides for producing plants having increased biomass/vigor/yield.

The present application discloses a recombinant fiber-selective promoter region comprising a DNA molecule comprising a fiber specificity region of a cotton lipid transfer protein gene promoter, operably linked to a DNA molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to a nucleotide sequence of about 500 consecutive nucleotides of the 3′ end of the FB8-like 2 promoter and use thereof to increase fiber-selective expression of products of interest in cotton fiber cells.

This disclosure concerns compositions and methods for promoting transcription of a nucleotide sequence in a plant or plant cell, employing a promoter from a Glycine max egg cell gene. Some embodiments relate to a promoter or a 5′ UTR from a Glycine max egg cell gene that functions in plants to promote transcription of operably linked nucleotide sequences. Other embodiments relate to a 3′ UTR or a terminator from a Glycine max egg cell gene that functions in plants to promote transcription of operably linked nucleotide sequences.

Systems and methods for producing a plurality of unique edits in a plant's T1 seed. In one example, a method comprises transforming at least one expression cassette into a plant cell or a plant tissue. The at least one expression cassette may comprise a nucleic acid that encodes a DNA modification enzyme; optionally, a nucleic acid that encodes at least one guide RNA (gRNA); and a floral mosaic (FMOS) regulatory sequence, wherein the FMOS regulatory sequence (i) mediates expression of the DNA modification enzyme in at least one of a floral primordia cell and a floral reproductive organ, and (ii) mediates a plurality of edits in the at least one of the floral primordia and the floral reproductive organ. The method may also include regenerating the plant cell or plant tissue into a T0 plant having a plurality of T1 seed, wherein the T1 seed contain a plurality of unique edits.

Methods of making haploid plants.

Plant cell fate and development is altered by treating cells with cellular reprogramming factors. Embryogenesis inducing embryogenesis factor genes and/or morphogenic developmental genes are used as cellular reprogramming factors, specifically comprising polypeptides or polynucleotides encoding gene products for generating doubled haploids or haploid plants from gametes. Maize microspores treated by contacting the isolated cells with an exogenous purified, recombinant embryogenesis inducing embryogenesis factor gene products and/or morphogenic developmental gene polypeptide results in embryogenesis. The gametes of a maize plant develop into embryoids when transformed with a genetic construct including regulatory elements and structural genes capable of acting in a cascading fashion to alter cellular fate of plant cells. Embryogenesis factor proteins and/or developmental morphogenic proteins expressed from a genetic construct are used for ex situ treatment methods and for in planta cellular reprogramming.

This disclosure concerns compositions and methods for promoting transcription of a nucleotide sequence in a plant or plant cell, employing a promoter from a Glycine max egg cell gene. Some embodiments relate to a promoter or a 5′ UTR from a Glycine max egg cell gene that functions in plants to promote transcription of operably linked nucleotide sequences. Other embodiments relate to a 3′ UTR or a terminator from a Glycine max egg cell gene that functions in plants to promote transcription of operably linked nucleotide sequences.