The present invention provides a wheat plant comprising an Rht-B1 allele which encodes an Rht-B1 (DELLA) polypeptide. Grain from a near-isogenic wheat line comprising the dwarfing Rht-B1c allele was subjected to sodium azide mutagenesis. Plants exhibiting early leaf elongation rates or mature plant height greater than the dwarf parent were selected and the Rht-B1 gene sequenced. This identified 35 mutated alleles of Rht-B1c. Similar methods were also used to identify mutant alleles of the dwarfing sln1d allele in barley, where DELLA is encoded by the sln1 gene.

The present disclosure provides modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants that are semi-dwarf and have one or more improved ear traits relative to a control plant, such as increase in ear fresh weight, ear area, ear volume, ear diameter, ear length, ear tip void, number of kernels per ear, single kernel weight, and yield. The modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants comprise a transgene encoding one or more glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) polypeptides and have a reduced expression of one or more GA20 or GA3 oxidase genes. Also provided are methods for producing the modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants.

Disclosed herein are artificially synthesized nucleic acid constructs to guide an epigenetic modification for at least partially silencing or activating a target gene in an organism such as a plant or seed, and formulations thereof. Also disclosed are methods of applying such nucleic acid constructs to the plant or to the seed. Also disclosed are engineered seeds and plants obtained by the epigenetic modification.

Methods for improving the efficiency and productivity of hybrid corn seed production are provided herein. Various methods to improve the transfer of pollen from male corn plants to female corn plants, and thus increase yield, are provided herein. Without being limiting, these methods include varying the height of male and female corn plants in a field, as well as varying the number, arrangement, and ratio of male-to-female rows in a field.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for altering gibberellin (GA) content in corn or other cereal plants. Methods and compositions are also provided for altering the expression of genes related to gibberellin biosynthesis through suppression, mutagenesis and/or editing of specific subtypes of GA20 or GA3 oxidase genes. Modified plant cells and plants having a suppression element or mutation reducing the expression or activity of a GA oxidase gene are further provided comprising reduced gibberellin levels and improved characteristics, such as reduced plant height and increased lodging resistance, but without off-types.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for altering gibberellin (GA) content in corn or other cereal plants. Methods and compositions are also provided for altering the expression of genes related to gibberellin biosynthesis through suppression, mutagenesis and/or editing of specific subtypes of GA20 or GA3 oxidase genes. Modified plant cells and plants having a suppression element or mutation reducing the expression or activity of a GA oxidase gene are further provided comprising reduced gibberellin levels and improved characteristics, such as reduced plant height and increased lodging resistance, but without off-types.

Methods for delayed harvesting of corn fields are provided herein. These methods provide an extended, flexible period of time to harvest corn. The methods allow growers to harvest their corn at the optimal time for drying down or accessing seed, without increasing the risk of losing yield to lodging.

The present invention discloses a method for increasing the sensitivity of a plant to a gibberellin inhibitor. The method for increasing the sensitivity of a plant to a gibberellin inhibitor provided by the present invention comprises the step of introducing an encoding gene of a protein into a recipient plant to obtain a transgenic plant; the transgenic plant has increased sensitivity to the gibberellin inhibitor compared to the recipient plant; the protein is a protein of the following a) or b) or c): a) a protein whose amino acid sequence is set forth in positions 1-821 of SEQ ID NO: 1; b) a protein whose amino acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1; c) a fusion protein obtained by attaching tag(s) to the N-terminus or/and C-terminus of a) or b). The experiments prove that the method for increasing the sensitivity of a plant to a gibberellin inhibitor of the present invention can be used to increase the sensitivity of plants to gibberellin inhibitors, and the plant height of plants can be regulated by the plant height-related protein HRP of the present invention.

The present disclosure provides modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants that are semi-dwarf and have one or more improved ear traits relative to a control plant, such as increase in ear area, ear diameter, ear length, green leaf number below ear, yield, single kernel weight, and/or ear fresh weight, and decrease in ear tip void. The modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants comprise a transgene encoding one or more proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) polypeptide and have a reduced expression of one or more GA20 or GA3 oxidase genes. Also provided are methods for producing the modified, transgenic, or genome edited/mutated corn plants.

The present invention relates to mutant gibberellin 2-oxidase (GA2ox) genes and uses thereof. In particular, the effective mutations disclosed herein can reduce GA2ox enzymatic activity to different extents, leading to various degrees of GA deficient yet beneficial agronomic traits in transgenic plants.