Plants having enhanced yield-related traits and method for making the same

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and concerns a method for enhancing various economically important yield-related traits in plants. More specifically, the present invention concerns a method for enhancing yield-related traits in plants by modulating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding a CER2-like (CER2- like (CER2-like acyl transferase) polypeptide) polypeptide or an At1 g68440-like (putative IMP dehydrogenase / GMP reductase from Populus trichocarpa) polypeptide. The present invention also concerns plants having modulated expression of a nucleic acid encoding a CER2-like polypeptide or an At1 g68440-like polypeptide, which plants have enhanced yield- related traits relative to control plants.; The invention also provides hitherto unknown encoding nucleic acids, and constructs comprising the same, useful in performing the methods of the invention. The present invention also relates generally to the field of molecular biology and concerns a method for enhancing various economically important yield-related traits in plants. More specifically, the present invention concerns a method for enhancing yield-related traits in plants by reducing or substantially eliminating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding an endogenous DEAD-box RNA helicase polypeptide and / or the level and / or the activity of a DEAD-box RNA helicase polypeptide in said plant. The present invention also concerns plants having a reduction or substantial elimination of the expression of an endogenous nucleic acid encoding a DEAD-box RNA helicase polypeptide, which plants have enhanced yield-related traits relative to control plants. The invention also provides hitherto unknown DEAD-box RNA helicase encoding nucleic acids, and constructs comprising the same, useful in performing the methods of the invention.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and relates to the expression of a putative enzyme encoded by a DEAD-box RNA helicase polypeptide, or a CER2-like (CER2-like acyltransferase) polypeptide, or an At1g68440-like (from Populus trichocarpa) A method for enhancing yield-related traits in plants by expressing nucleic acids of IMP dehydrogenase / GMP reductase) polypeptides in plants. The present invention also relates to plants having regulated expression of a nucleic acid encoding a DEAD-box RNA helicase polypeptide, which plants have enhanced yield-related traits relative to corresponding wild-type plants or other control plants. The invention also provides constructs that can be used in the methods of the invention. [0002] The growing world population and dwindling arable land available for agriculture have driven the research drive to improve agricultural efficiency. Traditional approaches to crop and horticultural improvement utiliz...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0014] Although DEAD-box RNA helicases are involved in many diverse biological processes, their precise function and regulation remain largely to be identified

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