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.

Disclosed are methods of obtaining clonal seeds, methods of plant cloning, methods of screening for maternal plants that produce clonal seeds asexually and methods of increasing yield of clonal seeds. Also disclosed are constructs comprising a nucleic acid that may silence the activity of a RNA-dependent DNA methylation pathway gene. Further disclosed are maternal plants comprising a construct wherein the construct comprises an exogenous nucleic acid sequence, wherein the construct renders the maternal plant defective for RNA-dependent DNA methylation.

The invention provides seeds and plants of Catharanthus hybrid ‘PAS1192826’ and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds, plant parts, and tissue cultures of Catharanthus hybrid ‘PAS1192826’ and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a Catharanthus plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another Catharanthus plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates plants, seeds, plant parts and tissue cultures of Catharanthus hybrid ‘PAS1192826’ and the parent lines thereof comprising introduced beneficial or desirable traits.

The invention relates to a method to improve breeding in dioecious plants, preferably Asparagus plants, comprising providing a plant in which the functional expression of the dominant suppressor of gynoecium development is disrupted or reduced and introducing said plant in inbreeding, backcross breeding, recurrent backcross breeding or double haploid breeding techniques. Preferably said dominant suppressor of gynoecium development is a gene comprising a DUF247 domain. Also provided are dioeciuos plants in which the expression of this gene is disrupted or reduced.

A family 1 cellulose-binding-domain (CBD) encoding gene from Phytophthora infestans was used to develop transgenic Bintje potato plants. Tests with detached leaflets showed no evidence of increased or decreased resistance to P. infestans, in comparison with the susceptible Bintje controls. Changes in plant morphology were most evident in the CBD1 multicopy transgenics. Plant height increases were evident in the later growth stages, along with earlier flowering and the ability to produce seed balls. While Bintje control plants are male and female sterile, the multicopy transgenics were male sterile and female fertile. Crosses made into Bintje demonstrated the ability to transfer P. infestans targeted R genes, as well as genes responsible for color and tuber shape, into Bintje germplasm. Selection for the absence of the CBD1 transgene should allow for immediate use of the material.

This invention relates to compositions and methods for modifying Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factors that regulate floret fertility, seed number, and/or seed weight in plants. The invention further relates to plants produced using the methods and compositions of the invention.

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.

The present invention discloses a plant fertility-associated protein and its application. The present invention claims a method for obtaining male-sterile plants by reducing or inhibiting the activity and/or content of GmMS1 protein in the target plants. The present invention also claims a method for obtaining male-sterile plants by silencing or suppressing the expression of GmMS1 gene or knocking out the GmMS1 gene in the target plants. The present invention is of great significance to the research of plant fertility and the breeding of sterile plants.

The invention relates to a modified PIN4 gene, the wild type of which is as identified in SEQ ID No. 1, encoding the protein of SEQ ID No. 5, or the wild type of which encodes a protein that has a sequence similarity of at least 80% to SEQ ID No. 5, which modified PIN4 gene encodes a protein that comprises an amino acid change as a result of the modification, and which modified protein is capable of inducing parthenocarpic fruit set when present in a plant. The invention also relates to plants and fruits that carry the gene. Such plants are capable of parthenocarpic fruit set and the fruits do not contain seeds. The invention further relates to use of the gene in breeding and producing plants capable of parthenocarpic fruit set.