Engineered climate resilient plants and methods of making and use thereof

Abstract

Engineered plants typically including a polynucleotide including an expression control sequence(s) operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a cold-regulated (COR) or COR-like gene are provided. Preferred COR genes include COR6.6, COR15A, COR15B, and homologues, orthologues, and paralogues thereof. The expression control sequence(s) can be or include a promoter, transcriptional terminator, a sequence that enhances expression or regulation or a combination thereof. Also provided are methods of using the engineered plants and parts and cells thereof. For example, a method of growing an engineered plant, e.g., a transgenic plant, can include planting the engineered plant or a part thereof such as seeds. The engineered plants are particularly advantageous for growing on marginal lands. Thus, the plants can be grown on land characterized by insufficient water supply, a severe slope, erosion, salinization, low organic carbon contents, is desert or desert adjacent, or any combination thereof.

Description

[0001]ENGINEERED CLIMATE RESILIENT PLANTS AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USE THEREOF CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 636,020, filed April 18, 2024, the contents of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference herein in its entirety. REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING The Sequence Listing XLM submitted as a file named “UGA2022_046_2PCT” created on April 10, 2025, and having a size of 13,042 bytes is hereby incorporated by reference pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 1.834(c)(1). FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention is generally related to engineered plants with improved resiliency and methods of making and use thereof. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) regulates many aspects of plant growth, development and biotic and abiotic stress responses (Vlot, et al., Annual Review of Phytopathology 47, 177-206 (2009)). Elevated SA enhances disease resistance and stress tolerance, but often at a cost to plant growth even under non-stress or disease-free environments (Heidel, et al., Genetics, 168, 2197-2206 (2004); Canet, et al., Plant Biotechnology Journal, 8, 126-141 (2010)). The growth penalty is of significant concern for exploiting SA-based crop protection in agriculture, as SA analogs such as benzothiadiazole (BTH, active ingredient of BION® and Actigard™) offer strong disease protection but cause yield loss in a dose- and species-dependent manner (reviewed in Walters, et al., Journal of Experimental Botany, 64, 1263-1280.). Classical forward genetics screens have uncovered numerous mutants with increased SA accumulation and enhanced disease resistance, coupled with arrested growth (Rivas-San Vicente and Plasencia, Journal of Experimental Botany, 62, 3321- 3338 (2011)). Examples include cpr5 (constitutive expression of pathogenesis-related genes), dnd1 (defense no cell death) and siz1. However, the genetic defects these mutants harbor are complex, affecting cell cycle regulation (cpr5) (Bao and Hua, PLoS ONE 9, el00347 (2014)), Ca2+ signaling (dnd1) (Clough et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 97, 9323- 9328 (2000); Ma et al., 1 45728333.1 Plant Physiology, 154, 733-743 (2010)), and protein sumoylation (siz1) (Catala et al., Plant Cell, 19, 2952-2966, 2007; Lee et al., Plant Journal, 49, 79-90 (2007)). This makes it challenging to dissect the mechanism underpinning SA-mediated defense and growth tradeoffs. Variations in growth penalty of those mutants could be attributed to pleiotropic effects, or alternatively, to different levels of SA accumulation. Indeed, SA levels are known to vary by 2-5-fold among A. thaliana ecotypes or hybrids (Bechtold et al., Plant, Cell & Environment, 33, 1959-1973 (2010); Yang et al., Nat Commun, 6 (2015); Zhang et al., Plant Signaling & Behavior, 10, e992741 (2015)). It is possible that small to moderate increases of SA confer enhanced immunity with minimal effects on growth, whereas strong increases of SA bear severe growth penalties. Low temperature is also a major environmental factor affecting plant growth, development, and geographical distribution, as well as crop yield (Thalhammer, et al., Plant Physiology, 166(1):190–201 (2014), doi.org / 10.1104 / pp.114.245399. Freezing of tissues can lead to plant death, mediated for example by excessive reactive oxygen species production, inactivation of enzymes, and damage to cellular membranes (Steponkus, Annu Rev Plant Physiol 35: 543–584 (1984); Guy, Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 41: 187–223 (1990)). Plants native to cold climates increase their freezing tolerance during exposure to low but nonfreezing temperatures in a process termed cold acclimation (Levitt, Responses of Plants to Environmental Stresses. Volume I: Chilling, Freezing, and High Temperature Stresses, Ed 2, Orlando, Florida, Academic Press1980; Steponkus, Annu Rev Plant Physiol 35: 543–584 (1984); Guy, Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol, 1990; Thomashow, Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol, 50: 571–599, 1999). This involves complex remodeling of the plant transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and lipidome (for review, see Guy et al., Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol, 2008; Hincha et al. Improving Crop Resistance to Abiotic Stress, Vol 1, Berlin, Wiley-Blackwell, pp 255–287 (2012)). A major signal transduction pathway in cold acclimation involves the C-repeat binding factors (Thomashow, Plant Physiol, 154: 571–577 (2010)). These cold-induced transcription factors activate downstream target genes encoding enzymes involved in compatible solute biosynthesis and cold-regulated (COR) proteins, many of which belong to the group of late- embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins (Thomashow, Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 50: 571–599 (1999); Hundertmark and Hincha, BMC Genomics, 9: 118 (2008)). LEA proteins have been found not only in plants but also in freezing and desiccation-tolerant 2 45728333.1 invertebrates (Browne et al., Nature, 416: 38 (2002); Hand et al., Annu Rev Physiol, 73: 115–134 (2011)). However, the roles of these proteins and how they may work individually or collectively alone or with other pathways to impact plant growth are poorly understood. Given the growth penalty caused by naturally and artificially induced SA signal transduction and other triggers such as environmental changes, it is an object of the invention to provide plants engineered for enhanced growth and development, and optionally controlled regulation thereof, and compositions and methods of use stemming therefrom. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has been discovered that transgenic expression of a COR or COR-like gene in plants can increase growth and / or survival of the plant in water- and nutrient-deficient conditions. Thus, engineered plants expressing a COR or COR-like transgene(s) and plant materials, tissues, parts, and cells thereof are provided. The engineered plants typically include a polynucleotide including an expression control sequence operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence(s) encoding a cold-regulated (COR) or COR-like gene. The COR or COR-like gene is typically heterologous to the plant. In some embodiments, expression of the COR or COR-like gene increases growth and / or survival of the engineered plant, plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof in water- and nutrient-deficient conditions for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 days, weeks, months, or years, e.g., relative to the counterpart unmodified wildtype plant of the same species or cultivar. The plant can be permanently modified to express the transgene, for example by integration of the transgene into the plant’s genome. Thus, the plant can be a transgenic plant. The plant can additionally or alternatively be transiently modified, for example by viral- mediated transformation that does not include genomic integration. In some embodiments, the COR or COR-like gene is from the Brassicaceae family. In some embodiments, the COR or COR-like gene is from Arabidopsis thaliana. In some embodiments, the COR or COR-like gene is a COR-like gene from another plant such as alfalfa or wheat. Exemplary COR genes include COR6.6 (AT5G15970), KIN1 (AT5G15960), COR15A (AT2G42540), COR15B (AT2G42530), COR47 (AT1G20440), ERD10 (AT1G20450), LTI30 (AT3G50970), AT4G30650, COR78 (also called RD29), cas15 (from Alfalfa), and wcs120 (from wheat). Preferred COR and COR-like genes include COR6.6, COR15A, COR15B, and homologues, orthologues, and paralogues thereof. In some 3 45728333.1 embodiments, the COR or COR-like gene encodes a protein having an amino acid selected from SEQ ID NOS:1-11, or a variant thereof with at least 70% sequence identity thereto. The expression control sequence(s) can be or include a promoter, transcriptional terminator, a sequence that enhances expression or regulation or a combination thereof. The promoter can be, for example, a constitutively active or inducible promoter. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequence encoding the COR or COR-like gene is codon optimized for expression in the engineered plant. Exemplary engineered plants include, but are not limited to, tomato; soybean; a crop harvested as biomass such as silage corn, poplar, switchgrass, or tobacco; an industrial oilseed such as Camelina sativa, Crambe, Jatropha, or castor; cottonseed; sunflower; palm; coconut; rice; safflower; peanut; a mustard such as Sinapis alba; sugarcane; flax; a cereal crop such as wheat, oat, barley, or rice; a forage crop such as alfalfa, bahiagrass, dallisgrass, kleingrass, guineagrass, reed canarygrass, orchardgrass, ricegrass, foxtail, or vetch; a legume such as lentil, or chickpea; an oilseed including edible oilseeds such as soybean, certain varieties of rapeseed (e.g., canola), sunflower, peanut, and safflower and industrial oilseeds such as Linseed, crambe, and certain varieties of rapeseed; a vegetable such as onion or carrot; or a specialty crop such as caraway, hemp, or sesame. The COR transgene maybe one or two or more transgenes expressed by the engineered plant, or may be the only transgene expressed by the engineered plant. In some embodiments, the plant is free from a transgene that directly or indirectly increases expression of salicylic acid (SA). In some embodiments, the plant part is seeds, and thus seeds of the engineered plants are provided. Also provided are foodstuffs harvested from the engineered plants. Also provided are methods of using the engineered plants and parts and cells thereof. For example, a method of growing a plant can include planting the engineered plant or a part thereof such as seeds. In some embodiments, the plant is grown for a fixed or indefinite period of time, optionally for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 days, weeks, months, or years. Some methods include harvesting the engineered plant and plant materials, tissues, parts, and cells thereof. The plants are particularly advantageous for growing on marginal lands. Thus, in some embodiments, the methods are carried out on marginal land, optionally wherein the marginal land is characterized by insufficient water supply, a severe slope, erosion, salinization, low organic carbon contents, is desert or desert adjacent, or any combination thereof. 4 45728333.1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures 1A and 1B are images of wildtype (Col-0) (1A) and COR15A overexpressing (A2:COR15A (in Col-0 background)) (1B) Arabidopsis plants. Figures 2A and 2B are images of wildtype (moneymaker) (2A) and COR15A overexpressing (A2:COR15A (in moneymaker background)) (2B) tomato plants. Figure 2C is an image showing wildtype (moneymaker) (on the right) and COR6.6 overexpressing (in moneymaker background) (on the left) tomato plants. Figure 3 is an image showing wildtype (on the left) and COR15B overexpressing (in wildtype background) (on the right) two year old tobacco plants. Figure 4 is an image showing wildtype (on the left) and COR15B overexpressing (in wildtype background) (on the right) poplar plants eight months after the last subculture. Figure 5 is an image showing left to right: Cas9 / transgenic vector control poplar (on the left) vs. COR15A overexpressing poplar (in the center) vs. COR15B overexpressing poplar (on the right). Figure 6A is an image showing WT (left) and COR15B (right) alfalfa plants 6 months after the last subculture. Figure 6B is an image showing vegetatively propagated alfalfa plants grown in soil subjected to water-withholding for 7 days. From left to right the plants are COR15B, COR15B, WT, and COR15A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION I. Definitions As used herein, the term “plant” is used in its broadest sense. It includes, but is not limited to, any species of woody, ornamental or decorative crop or cereal, and fruit or vegetable plant. It also refers to a plurality of plant cells that are largely differentiated into a structure that is present at any stage of a plant’s development. Such structures include, but are not limited to, a fruit, shoot, stem, leaf, flower petal, etc. As used herein, the term “plant tissue” includes differentiated and undifferentiated tissues of plants including those present in roots, shoots, leaves, pollen, seeds and tumors, as well as cells in culture (e.g., single cells, protoplasts, embryos, callus, etc.). Plant tissue may be in planta, in organ culture, tissue culture, or cell culture. The term “plant part” as used herein refers to a plant structure, a plant organ, or a plant tissue. As used herein, the term “plant material” refers to leaves, stems, roots, flowers or flower parts, fruits, pollen, egg cells, zygotes, seeds, cuttings, cell or tissue cultures, or any other part or product of a plant. 5 45728333.1 As used herein, the term “plant part” or “part of a plant” can include, but is not limited to cuttings, cells, protoplasts, cell tissue cultures, callus (calli), cell clumps, embryos, stamens, pollen, anthers, pistils, ovules, flowers, seed, petals, leaves, stems, and roots. As used herein, the term “plant organ” refers to a distinct and visibly structured and differentiated part of a plant such as a root, stem, leaf, flower bud, or embryo. As used herein, the term “plant cell” refers to a structural and physiological unit of a plant, comprising a protoplast and a cell wall. The plant cell may be in form of an isolated single cell or a cultured cell, or as a part of higher organized unit such as, for example, a plant tissue, a plant organ, or a whole plant. As used herein, the term “plant cell culture” refers to cultures of plant units such as, for example, protoplasts, cell culture cells, cells in plant tissues, pollen, pollen tubes, ovules, embryo sacs, zygotes and embryos at various stages of development. As used herein, a “cultivar” refers to a cultivated variety. As used herein, “germplasm” refers to one or more phenotypic characteristics, or one or more genes encoding said one or more phenotypic characteristics, capable of being transmitted between generations. As used herein, the term “progenitor” refers to any of the species, varieties, cultivars, or germplasm, from which a plant is derived. As used herein, the term “derivative species, germplasm or variety” refers to any plant species, germplasm or variety that is produced using a stated species, variety, cultivar, or germplasm, using standard procedures of sexual hybridization, recombinant DNA technology, tissue culture, mutagenesis, or a combination of any one or more said procedures. As used herein, a “hybrid” is typically derived from one or more crosses between different varieties, germplasms, populations, breeds or cultivars within a single species, between different subspecies within a species, or between different species within a genus. Typically, hybrids between subspecies are referred to as “intra-specific hybrids” and hybrids between different species within a genus are referred to as “interspecific hybrids.” As used herein, the term “transgenic plant” refers to a plant or tree that contains recombinant genetic material not normally found in plants or trees of this type and which has been introduced into the plant in question (or into progenitors of the plant) by human manipulation. Thus, a plant that is grown from a plant cell into which recombinant DNA is introduced by transformation is a transgenic plant, as are all offspring of that plant that contain the introduced transgene (whether produced sexually or asexually). It is understood that the term 6 45728333.1 transgenic plant encompasses the entire plant or tree and parts of the plant or tree, for instance grains, seeds, flowers, leaves, roots, fruit, pollen, stems etc. As used herein, the term “construct” refers to a recombinant genetic molecule having one or more isolated polynucleotide sequences. Genetic constructs used for transgene expression in a host organism include in the 5’-3’ direction, a promoter sequence; a sequence encoding a gene of interest; and a termination sequence. The construct may also include selectable marker gene(s) and other regulatory elements for expression. As used herein, the term “gene” refers to a DNA sequence that encodes through its template or messenger RNA a sequence of amino acids characteristic of a specific peptide, polypeptide, or protein. The term “gene” also refers to a DNA sequence that encodes an RNA product. The term gene as used herein with reference to genomic DNA includes intervening, non-coding regions as well as regulatory regions and can include 5’ and 3’ ends. As used herein, the term “orthologous genes” or “orthologs” refer to genes that have a similar nucleic acid sequence because they were separated by a speciation event. As used herein, the term, “polypeptide” refers generally to peptides and proteins having more than about ten amino acids. The polypeptides can be “exogenous,” meaning that they are “heterologous,” i.e., foreign to the host cell being utilized, such as human polypeptide produced by a bacterial cell. As used herein, the term “isolated” is meant to describe a compound of interest (e.g., nucleic acids) that is in an environment different from that in which the compound naturally occurs, e.g., separated from its natural milieu such as by concentrating a peptide to a concentration at which it is not found in nature. “Isolated” is meant to include compounds that are within samples that are substantially enriched for the compound of interest and / or in which the compound of interest is partially or substantially purified. Isolated nucleic acids are at least 60% free, preferably 75% free, and most preferably 90% free from other associated components. An “isolated” nucleic acid molecule or polynucleotide is a nucleic acid molecule that is identified and separated from at least one contaminant nucleic acid molecule with which it is ordinarily associated in the natural source. The isolated nucleic acid can be, for example, free of association with all components with which it is naturally associated. An isolated nucleic acid molecule is other than in the form or setting in which it is found in nature. As used herein, the term “locus” refers to a specific position along a chromosome or DNA sequence. Depending upon context, a locus could be a gene, a marker, a chromosomal band or a specific sequence of one or more nucleotides. 7 45728333.1 As used herein, the term “allele” refers to one of two or more alternative forms of a gene. As used herein, the term “vector” refers to a replicon, such as a plasmid, phage, or cosmid, into which another DNA segment may be inserted so as to bring about the replication of the inserted segment. The vectors can be expression vectors. As used herein, the term “expression vector” refers to a vector that includes one or more expression control sequences. As used herein, the term “expression control sequence” refers to a DNA sequence that controls and regulates the transcription and / or translation of another DNA sequence. Control sequences that are suitable for prokaryotes, for example, include a promoter, optionally an operator sequence, a ribosome binding site, and the like. Eukaryotic cells are known to utilize promoters, polyadenylation signals, and enhancers. As used herein, the term “promoter” refers to a regulatory nucleic acid sequence, typically located upstream (5’) of a gene or protein coding sequence that, in conjunction with various elements, is responsible for regulating the expression of the gene or protein coding sequence. The promoters suitable for use in the constructs of this disclosure are functional in plants and in host organisms used for expressing the disclosed polynucleotides. Many plant promoters are publicly known. These include constitutive promoters, inducible promoters, tissue- and cell-specific promoters and developmentally-regulated promoters. Exemplary promoters and fusion promoters are described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No.6,717,034, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. As used herein, a nucleic acid sequence or polynucleotide is “operably linked” when it is placed into a functional relationship with another nucleic acid sequence. For example, DNA for a presequence or secretory leader is operably linked to DNA for a polypeptide if it is expressed as a preprotein that participates in the secretion of the polypeptide; a promoter or enhancer is operably linked to a coding sequence if it affects the transcription of the sequence; or a ribosome binding site is operably linked to a coding sequence if it is positioned so as to facilitate translation. Generally, “operably linked” means that the DNA sequences being linked are contiguous and, in the case of a secretory leader, contiguous and in reading frame. Linking can be accomplished by ligation at convenient restriction sites. If such sites do not exist, synthetic oligonucleotide adaptors or linkers are used in accordance with conventional practice. As used herein, the terms “transformed,” “transfected” “recombinant” and “engineered” refer to a host organism such as a bacterium or a plant into which a heterologous nucleic acid molecule has been introduced. The nucleic acid molecule can be stably integrated into the 8 45728333.1 genome of the host or the nucleic acid molecule can also be present as an extrachromosomal molecule. Such an extrachromosomal molecule can be auto-replicating. Engineered cells, tissues, or plants are understood to encompass not only the end product of a transformation process, but also progeny, e.g., transgenic progeny, thereof. A “non-transformed,” “non- recombinant” or “unmodified” host refers to a wild-type organism, e.g., a bacterium or plant, which does not contain the heterologous nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, the term “endogenous” with regard to a nucleic acid refers to nucleic acids normally present in the host. As used herein, the term “heterologous” refers to elements occurring where they are not normally found. For example, a promoter may be linked to a heterologous nucleic acid sequence, e.g., a sequence that is not normally found operably linked to the promoter. When used herein to describe a promoter element, heterologous means a promoter element that differs from that normally found in the native promoter, either in sequence, species, or number. For example, a heterologous control element in a promoter sequence may be a control / regulatory element of a different promoter added to enhance promoter control, or an additional control element of the same promoter. The term “heterologous” thus can also encompasses “exogenous” and “non-native” elements. As used herein, “homologous” means derived from the same species. For example, a homologous trait is any characteristic of organisms that is derived from a common ancestor. Homologous sequences can be orthologous or paralogous. Homologous sequences are orthologous if they were separated by a speciation event: when a species diverges into two separate species, the divergent copies of a single gene in the resulting species are said to be orthologous. Orthologs, or orthologous genes, are genes in different species that are similar to each other because they originated from a common ancestor. Homologous sequences are paralogous if they were separated by a gene duplication event: if a gene in an organism is duplicated to occupy two different positions in the same genome, then the two copies are paralogous. As used herein, “polypeptide” refers generally to peptides and proteins having more than about ten amino acids. The polypeptides can be “exogenous,” meaning that they are “heterologous,” i.e., foreign to the host cell being utilized, such as human polypeptide produced by a bacterial cell. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise 9 45728333.1 indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. Use of the term “about” is intended to describe values either above or below the stated value in a range of approx. + / - 10%; in other forms the values may range in value either above or below the stated value in a range of approx. + / - 5%; in other forms the values may range in value either above or below the stated value in a range of approx. + / - 2%; in other forms the values may range in value either above or below the stated value in a range of approx. + / - 1%. The ranges are intended to be made clear by context, and no further limitation is implied. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the description and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the description unless otherwise claimed. Disclosed are materials, compositions, and components that can be used for, can be used in conjunction with, can be used in preparation for, or are products of the disclosed method and compositions. These and other materials are disclosed herein, and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions, groups, etc. of these materials are disclosed that while specific reference of each various individual and collective combinations and permutation of these compounds may not be explicitly disclosed, each is specifically contemplated and described herein. For example, if a ligand is disclosed and discussed and a number of modifications that can be made to a number of molecules including the ligand are discussed, each and every combination and permutation of ligand and the modifications that are possible are specifically contemplated unless specifically indicated to the contrary. Thus, if a class of molecules A, B, and C are disclosed as well as a class of molecules D, E, and F and an example of a combination molecule, A-D is disclosed, then even if each is not individually recited, each is individually and collectively contemplated. Thus, in this example, each of the combinations A-E, A-F, B-D, B-E, B-F, C-D, C-E, and C-F are specifically contemplated and should be considered disclosed from disclosure of A, B, and C; D, E, and F; and the example combination A-D. Likewise, any subset or combination of these is also specifically contemplated and disclosed. Thus, for example, the sub-group of A-E, B-F, and C-E are specifically contemplated and should be considered disclosed from disclosure of A, B, and C; D, E, and F; and the example combination A-D. Further, each of the materials, compositions, components, etc. contemplated and disclosed as above can also be specifically and independently included or excluded from any group, subgroup, list, set, etc. of such materials. 10 45728333.1 These concepts apply to all aspects of this application including, but not limited to, steps in methods of making and using the disclosed compositions. Thus, if there are a variety of additional steps that can be performed it is understood that each of these additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment or combination of embodiments of the disclosed methods, and that each such combination is specifically contemplated and should be considered disclosed. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the embodiments unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. II. Engineered Plants It has been discovered that transgenic expression of evolutionarily conserved COR genes and Arabidopsis-derived orphan COR genes can enhance the plant’s ability to cope with drought and nutrient deficits. Orphan genes are genes found only in a taxonomically limited range. The target genes are a group of conserved and orphans genes referred to as cold-regulated (COR): such as, but not limited to, COR15A (AT2G42540), COR15B (AT2G42530), KIN1 (AT5G15960, tandem duplicate of KIN2 / COR6.6) and COR6.6 (AT5G15970, KIN2), which are found only in Brassicaceae (the mustard family), e.g., Arabidopsis thaliana, and / or COR-like genes for other plants such as alfalfa and wheat. Thus provided are engineered plants having heterologous transgenes encoding COR proteins, and methods of making and using the same. A. COR and COR-like Gene Constructs The disclosed engineered plants typically constitutively or inducibly express one or more COR or COR-like genes. Thus, the plants typically include a transgenic construct including a nucleic acid sequence encoding a COR or COR-like protein. The nucleic acid sequence encoding the COR or COR-like protein is typically operably linked to an expression control system that typically include a promoter and optionally additional regulatory elements. The transgene can be integrated into the genome of cells(s) of the plant. The transgene can also be non-integrated. Thus genomically modified transgenic plants, as well as virally transduced, non- genomically integrated modified plants are provided. 11 45728333.1 1. COR & COR-like Proteins and Genes Sequences CORs were first identified by their strong induction during cold acclimation at nonfreezing (2-6ºC) temperatures (Thomashow et al., Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 19, 497-504 (1997)). Expression of CORs is also induced by salinity, drought, ABA (Baker et al., Plant Molecular Biology, 24, 701-713 (1994); Yamaguchi-Shinozaki and Shinozaki, Plant Cell, 6, 251-2641994), suboptimal temperatures. Suboptimal temperatures such as those frequent in spring and late summer can slow cellular activities and reduce growth (Willing and Leopold, Plant Physiology 71, 118-121 (1983); Andrews, Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 67, 1121- 1133 (1987)). COR proteins are predicted as intrinsically disordered proteins. COR15 and COR6.6 encode small disordered proteins of ~15 KDa and 6.6 KDa, respectively. As non-enzymatic proteins, CORs may confer freezing tolerance by stabilizing chloroplast membranes (e.g., COR15A) or as cryoprotective proteins (Browse and Xin, Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 4, 241-246 (2001); Thalhammer and Hincha, Plant Signaling & Behavior, 9, e977722 (2014)). The COR genes are strongly suppressed by salicylic acid (SA), a phytohormone important for plant disease resistance. However, SA-mediated disease resistance often comes at the expense of growth retardation. COR genes are universally suppressed in high-SA plants and overexpression of COR genes can rescue the SA-mediated growth penalty. Moreover, it has now been discovered that COR-overexpressing plants show remarkable resilience in tissue culture and in soil. As illustrated in the experiments described in the Examples below, engineered plants expressing COR transgenes can withstand water- and nutrient-deficient conditions for extended periods of time. COR-overexpressing plants are improved relative to their wildtype counters and show improved growth independent of manipulation of SA. Thus, transgenic expression of COR or COR-like genes leads not only to rescue of growth deficiencies in the presence of SA induction, but superior growth and survival in the absence thereof. COR or COR-like engineered plants are therefore well suited for improving forage or bioenergy crops in marginal land. Thus, the engineered plants express one or more heterologous COR genes or COR-like genes. The COR gene(s) can be from Brassicaceae (the mustard family). Typically, the COR gene(s) is from Arabidopsis thaliana, or its homologue, orthologue, or paralogue in another Brassicaceae family plant. The family contains 372 genera and 4,060 accepted species. The 12 45728333.1 largest genera are Draba (440 species), Erysimum (261 species), Lepidium (234 species), Cardamine (233 species), and Alyssum (207 species). The family contains the cruciferous vegetables, including species such as Brassica oleracea (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards), Brassica rapa (turnip, Chinese cabbage, etc.), Brassica napus (rapeseed, etc.), Raphanus sativus (common radish), Armoracia rusticana (horseradish), but also others including, for example, the cut-flower Matthiola (stock). In other embodiments, the gene is a COR-like gene from another plant such as Medicago sativa (alfalfa), or a Triticum (wheat, e.g., T. aestivum). In some embodiments, the one or more genes is COR6.6 or COR15 or related genes. In some embodiments, the gene is COR6.6 (AT5G15970), KIN1 (AT5G15960), COR15A (AT2G42540), COR15B (AT2G42530), COR47 (AT1G20440), ERD10 (AT1G20450), LTI30 (AT3G50970), AT4G30650, COR78 (also called RD29), cas15 (from Alfalfa), wcs120 (from wheat), and / or the like. Exemplary consensus (i.e., wildtype) amino acid sequences for COR and COR-like proteins include: MSETNKNAFQAGQAAGKAEEKSNVLLDKAKDAAAAAGASAQQAGKSISDAAVGGVNFVKDKTGL NK (SEQ ID NO:1, UniProtKB - P31169 (KIN2_ARATH also referred to herein as COR6.6)); MSETNKNAFQAGQTAGKAEEKSNVLLDKAKDAAAGAGAGAQQAGKSVSDAAAGGVNFVKDKTGL NK (SEQ ID NO:2, UniProtKB - P18612 (KIN1_ARATH)); MAMSFSGAVLTGMASSFHSGAKQSSFGAVRVGQKTQFVVVSQRKKSLIYAAKGDGNILDDLNEA TKKASDFVTDKTKEALADGEKAKDYVVEKNSETADTLGKEAEKAAAYVEEKGKEAANKAAEFAE GKAGEAKDATK (SEQ ID NO:3, UniProtKB - Q42512 (COR15A_ARATH)); MAMSLSGAVLSGMGSSFHNVGAKQSGVGTVRVGRKSELVVVAQRKKSLIYAVKSDGNILDDLNE ATKKASDFVTDKTKEALADGEKTKDYIVEKTIEANETATEEAKKALDYVTEKGKEAGNKAAEFV EGKAEEAKNATKS (SEQ ID NO:4, UniProtKB - Q9SIN5 (COR15B_ARATH)); MAEEYKNNVPEHETPTVATEESPATTTEVTDRGLFDFLGKKEEEVKPQETTTLESEFDHKAQIS EPELAAEHEEVKENKITLLEELQEKTEEDEENKPSVIEKLHRSNSSSSSSSDEEGEEKKEKKKK IVEGEEDKKGLVEKIKEKLPGHHDKTAEDDVPVSTTIPVPVSESVVEHDHPEEEKKGLVEKIKE 13 45728333.1 KLPGHHDEKAEDSPAVTSTPLVVTEHPVEPTTELPVEHPEEKKGILEKIKEKLPGYHAKTTEEE VKKEKESDD (SEQ ID NO:5, UniProtKB - P31168 (COR47_ARATH)); MAEEYKNTVPEQETPKVATEESSAPEIKERGMFDFLKKKEEVKPQETTTLASEFEHKTQISEPE SFVAKHEEEEHKPTLLEQLHQKHEEEEENKPSLLDKLHRSNSSSSSSSDEEGEDGEKKKKEKKK KIVEGDHVKTVEEENQGVMDRIKEKFPLGEKPGGDDVPVVTTMPAPHSVEDHKPEEEEKKGFMD KIKEKLPGHSKKPEDSQVVNTTPLVETATPIADIPEEKKGFMDKIKEKLPGYHAKTTGEEEKKE KVSD (SEQ ID NO:6, UniProtKB - P42759 (ERD10_ARATH)); MNSHQNQTGVQKKGITEKIMEKLPGHHGPTNTGVVHHEKKGMTEKVMEQLPGHHGATGTGGVHH EKKGMTEKVMEQLPGHHGSHQTGTNTTYGTTNTGGVHHEKKSVTEKVMEKLPGHHGSHQTGTNT AYGTNTNVVHHEKKGIAEKIKEQLPGHHGTHKTGTTTSYGNTGVVHHENKSTMDKIKEKLPGGH H (SEQ ID NO:7, UniProtKB - P42758 (XERO2_ARATH)); MASNMEVFCEILIAILLPPLGVCLKRGCCTVEFLICLVLTILGYIPGIIYALYVIVFQNREGST ELGAPLNSA (SEQ ID NO:8, UniProtKB - Q9M095 (RC23_ARATH)); MDQTEEPPLNTHQQHPEEVEHHENGATKMFRKVKARAKKFKNSLTKHGQSNEHEQDHDLVEEDD DDDELEPEVIDAPGVTGKPRETNVPASEEIIPPGTKVFPVVSSDYTKPTESVPVQEASYGHDAP AHSVRTTFTSDKEEKRDVPIHHPLSELSDREESRETHHESLNTPVSLLSGTEDVTSTFAPSGDD EYLDGQRKVNVETPITLEEESAVSDYLSGVSNYQSKVTDPTKEETGGVPEIAESFGNMEVTDES PDQKPGQFERDLSTRSKEFKEFDQDFDSVLGKDSPAKFPGESGVVFPVGFGDESGAELEKDFPT RSHDFDMKTETGMDTNSPSRSHEFDLKTESGNDKNSPMGFGSESGAELEKEFDQKNDSGRNEYS PESDGGLGAPLGGNFPVRSHELDLKNESDIDKDVPTGFDGEPDFLAKGRPGYGEASEEDKFPAR SDDVEVETELGRDPKTETLDQFSPELSHPKERDEFKESRDDFEETRDEKTEEPKQSTYTEKFAS MLGYSGEIPVGDQTQVAGTVDEKLTPVNEKDQETESAVTTKLPISGGGSGVEEQRGEDKSVSGR DYVAEKLTTEEEDKAFSDMVAEKLQIGGEEEKKETTTKEVEKISTEKAASEEGEAVEEEVKGGG GMVGRIKGWFGGGATDEVKPESPHSVEEAPKSSGWFGGGATEEVKPKSPHSVEESPQSLGSTVV PVQKEL (SEQ ID NO:9; UniProtKB - Q06738 (RD29A_ARATH)); MAGIMNKIGDALHGGGDKKEGEHKGEQHGHVGGEHHGEYKGEQHGFVGGHAGDHKGEQHGFVGG HGGDYKGEQHGFGHGDHKEGYHGEEHKEGFADKIKDKIHGEGADGEKKKKKEKKKHGEGHEHGH DSSSSDSD (SEQ ID NO:10; UniProtKB - Q40334 (MEDSA)); and 14 45728333.1 MENQAHIAGEKKGIMEKIKEKLPGGHGDHKETAGTHGHPGTATHGAPATGGAYGQQGHAGTTGT GLHGAHAGEKKGVMENIKDKLPGGHQDHQQTGGTYGQQGHTGTATHGTPATGGTYGQQGHTGTA THGTPATGGTYGEQGHTGVTGTGTHGTGEKKGVMENIKEKLPGGHGDHQQTGGTYGQQGHTGTA THGTPAGGGTYEQHGHTGMTGTGTHGTGEKKGVMENIKDKLPGGHGDHQQTGGTYGQQGHTGTA TQGTPAGGGTYEQHGHTGMTGAGTHSTGEKKGVMENIKEKLPGGHSDHQQTGGAYGQQGHTGTA THGTPAGGGTYGQHGHAGVIGTETHGTTATGGTHGQHGHTGTTGTGTHGSDGIGEKKSLMDKIK DKLPGQH (SEQ ID NO:11; UniProtKB - P46525 (CS120_WHEAT)). The COR or COR-like protein can be encoded by the wildtype nucleic acid sequence, or an alternative nucleic acid sequence, e.g., one that is codon optimized for expression in the plant background of choice. Additionally or alternatively, the COR or COR-like protein sequence can be a variant sequence that is at least 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, or more percent identical to the reference COR or COR-like protein sequence, e.g., any one of SEQ ID NOS:1-11. Thus, nucleic acid sequences encoding such variant COR or COR-like proteins, and codon optimized sequences thereof are also provided and can be used in the disclosed transgenic constructs and engineered plants. In some embodiments, the plant expresses one or more additional, non-COR transgenes. In some embodiments, the only transgene(s) expressed by the plant is the COR or COR-like transgene(s). For example, in some embodiments, the plant expresses high levels of SA. In some embodiments, the plant is also an SA expressing transgenic plant. In other embodiments, the plant is not an SA transgenic plant or otherwise modified to increase SA expression, e.g., relative to endogenous levels. Thus, in some embodiments, the plant is free from transgenes and / or non-gene transgenic elements (e.g., heterologous promotors), that directly or indirectly increase expression of SA in the plant. 2. Expression Constructs Transformation and infection / transfection constructs including a nucleic acid sequence encoding a COR or COR-like protein are also provided. Constructs can be engineered such that transformation of the nuclear genome and expression of transgenes from the nuclear genome occurs. Alternatively, transformation constructs can be engineered such that transformation of the plastid genome and expression of the plastid genome occurs. Constructs for viral vector delivery and expression are also provided. Generally, the nucleic acid sequences disclosed are operably linked to a suitable promoter expressible in plants, and used to increase resilience in tissue culture and / or in soil. 15 45728333.1 Preferred modified plants and plant parts can withstand water- and nutrient-deficient conditions for extended periods of time and / or grow and develop more robustly than their wildtype counterparts. Expression cassettes containing the disclosed COR or COR-like protein-encoding nucleic acids may also include any further sequences required or selected for the expression of the transgene. Such sequences include, but are not restricted to, transcription terminators, extraneous sequences to enhance expression such as introns, vital sequences, and sequences intended for the targeting of the gene product to specific organelles and cell compartments. These expression cassettes can then be easily transferred to the plant transformation vectors. Representative plant transformation vectors are described in plant transformation vector options available (Gene Transfer to Plants (1995), Potrykus, et al., G. eds. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York; “Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial and Pharmaceutical Proteins” (1996), Owen, M.R.L. and Pen, J. eds. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. England and Methods in Plant Molecular biology-a laboratory course manual (1995), Maliga, P., Klessig, D. F., Cashmore, A. R., Gruissem, W. and Varner, J. E. eds. Cold Spring Laboratory Press, New York). An additional approach is to use a vector to specifically transform the plant plastid chromosome by homologous recombination (U.S. Pat. No.5,545,818 to McBride, et al.), in which case it is possible to take advantage of the prokaryotic nature of the plastid genome and insert a number of transgenes as an operon. Another approach involves using plant viruses for stable or transient expression of the transgene. Non-integrative approach can be faster and less expensive, and avoid drawbacks associated with transgenesis, such as chromatin context, generational silencing and insertional variation of transgenes (Khakhar and Voytas, Front. Plant Sci., 10 pages. doi.org / 10.3389 / fpls.2021.668580. The following provides a description of various components of typical expression cassettes any of which can form part of any of the disclosed constructs. a. Promoters Plant promoters can be selected to control the expression of the transgene in different plant tissues or organelles, for all of which methods are known to those skilled in the art (Gasser, et al., Science, 244:1293-99 (1989)). The promoter can be a native plant or non-plant promoter or a synthetic promoter. The promoter can be constitutive, inducible, or tissue-specific. Examples of all of these types of promoters are known in the art can be utilized in the disclosed constructs, plants, and methods. See, e.g., Ali and Kim, A “Fruitful Decade Using Synthetic 16 45728333.1 Promoters in the Improvement of Transgenic Plants,” Front. Plant Sci., 01 November 2019 | https: / / doi.org / 10.3389 / fpls.2019.01433, e.g., entire reference and Tables 1-3 therein, which is specifically incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Native plant promoters are typically more than 1000 bp long and are much weaker in their expression compared to constitutive viral promoters (e.g., CaMV 35S) that have been commonly exploited in plant biotechnology. In contrast, synthetic promoters are typically smaller in size but generate strong constitutive or inducible expression. The primary elements (e.g., core promoter and Cis-motifs) of different promoters can be linked together from diverse origins to form a synthetic promoter for the spatial and temporal control of a transgene in a genetically engineered plant. Different types of promoters are classified based on gene expression and their regulation. In constitutive expression, a promoter may be active throughout all developmental stages of the plant in each tissue. In contrast, an inducible promoter is modulated by external stimuli such as different biotic and abiotic environmental factors and / or at specific developmental stages without endogenous factors. Tissue-specific promoters direct the expression of a gene in one or more tissues or at certain stages of development. In some embodiments, the promoter is a constitutive promoter of non-plant origin or plant origin. In some embodiments, the promoter is from a plant pathogen (such as cauliflower mosaic virus; CaMV 35S). Alternatively, constitutive promoters of plant origin include, but are not limited to, strong constitutive promoter (AtACT2) isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana (see, e.g., An, The Plant Journal, 10: 107-121. doi.org / 10.1046 / j.1365-313X.1996.10010107.x); moderate constitutive promoter (PtMCP) isolated from Populus tomentosa; PvUbi1 and PvUbi2 isolated from switchgrass; and CsCYP, C2 (CsGAPC2), and CsEF1 isolated from citrus. In some embodiments, the promoter is an inducible promoter. Inducible promoters are frequently used because the gene of interest can be switched off or on under certain conditions and / or at certain developmental stages. Several different inducible promoters have been reported that vary according to their source and expression level. Inducible promoters can be grouped as either being chemically inducible (e.g., with steroids, metals, hormones, or alcohols, etc.), or physically inducible (e.g., with plant pathogens, temperature, light levels, stress, drought, dehydration). A promoter whose activity is observed only in specific tissues of the plant is known as a tissue-specific promoter. In some embodiments, the promoter is tissue specific. Such promoters express the cistronic part of their gene in cells of particular tissue types, and their expression may also be induced in those tissues by internal or external factors. A transgene ligated to a 17 45728333.1 tissue-specific promoter should activate expression of the encoded protein in a particular cell type, without affecting unmodified tissues of the plant. In a preferred embodiment, promoters are selected from those of plant or prokaryotic origin that are known to yield high expression in plant nuclei or plastids. Promoters vary in their strength, i.e., ability to promote transcription. Depending upon the host cell system utilized, any one of a number of suitable promoters known in the art may be used. For example, for constitutive expression, the CaMV 35S promoter, the Arabidopsis actin promoter, or the soybean ubiquitin promoter may be used. For regulatable expression, the chemically inducible PR-1 promoter from tobacco or Arabidopsis may be used (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No.5,689,044 to Ryals, et al.). In some embodiments, the promoter is drought or dehydration or other stress-induced promoter. Examples of such inducible promoters include, but are not limited to, Dhn4s, Dhn8s, HVA1s, Rab16Bj, wsi18j, HDZI-3, HDZI-4, Rab21, Wsi18, Lea3, Uge1, Dip1, and R1G1B (see, e.g., Xiao, et al., Yi Chuan, 28(1):85-91 (2006), Plant Biotechnol J, 18(3):829-844 (2000). doi: 10.1111 / pbi.13252. Epub 2019 Sep 25, Yi, et al., Planta, 232(3):743-54 (2010). doi: 10.1007 / s00425-010-1212-z. Epub 2010 Jun 22, Zhu, et al., Yi Chuan, 32(3):229-34 (2010). doi: 10.3724 / sp.j.1005.2010.00229, and Rahamkulov, et al., 3 Biotech, 10(10):426 (2020). doi: 10.1007 / s13205-020-02350-x. Epub 2020 Sep 11, each of which is specifically incorporated by reference herein in its entirety). Another suitable category of promoters is wound inducible. Numerous promoters have been described which are expressed at wound sites. Preferred promoters of this kind include those described by Stanford, et al., Mol. Gen. Genet.215: 200- 208 (1989), Xu et al. Plant Molec. Biol.22:573-588 (1993), Logemann, et al., Plant Cell 1:151- 158 (1989), Rohrmeier, et al., Plant Molec. Biol.22:783-792 (1993), Firek, et al., Plant Molec. Biol.22:129-142 (1993), and Warner, et al., Plant J., 3:191-201 (1993). Suitable tissue specific expression patterns include green tissue specific, root specific, stem specific, and flower specific. Promoters suitable for expression in green tissue include many which regulate genes involved in photosynthesis, and many of these have been cloned from both monocotyledons and dicotyledons. A suitable promoter is the maize PEPC promoter from the phosphoenol carboxylase gene (Hudspeth, et al., Plant Molec.Biol.12:579-589 (1989)). A suitable promoter for root specific expression is that described by de Framond, FEBS, 290: 103-106 (1991); EP 0452269 to de Framond and a root-specific promoter is that from the T-1 gene. A suitable stem specific promoter is that described in U.S. Pat. No.5,625,136 and which drives expression of the maize trpA gene. 18 45728333.1 Although in some embodiments, strong promoters are preferred, in other embodiments, the promoter can be a relatively weak plant expressible promoter. Thus, the promoter can in some embodiments initiate and control transcription of the operably linked nucleic acids about 10 to about 100 times less efficient that an optimal CaMV35S promoter. Relatively weak plant expressible promoters include the promoters or promoter regions from the opine synthase genes of Agrobacterium spp. Such as the promoter or promoter region of the nopaline synthase, the promoter or promoter region of the octopine synthase, the promoter or promoter region of the mannopine synthase, the promoter or promoter region of the agropine synthase and any plant expressible promoter with comparably activity in transcription initiation. Other relatively weak plant expressible promoters may be dehiscence zone selective promoters, or promoters expressed predominantly or selectively in dehiscence zone and / or valve margins of fruits, such as the promoters described in WO97 / 13865. Cis-regulatory elements from the promoter of photoperiod-responsive genes, coordinated motifs integrating hormones and stresses to photoperiod responses, and the promoters of photo- responsive genes such as those described in Mongkolsiriwatana, Katsetsart J. (Nat. Sci.) 43: 164-177 (2009), can also be used. b. Transcriptional Terminators A variety of transcriptional terminators are available for use in expression cassettes. These are responsible for the termination of transcription beyond the transgene and its correct polyadenylation. Appropriate transcriptional terminators are those that are known to function in plants and include the CaMV 35S terminator, the tm1 terminator, the nopaline synthase terminator and the pea rbcS E9 terminator. These are used in both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. At the extreme 3’ end of the transcript, a polyadenylation signal can be engineered. A polyadenylation signal refers to any sequence that can result in polyadenylation of the mRNA in the nucleus prior to export of the mRNA to the cytosol, such as the 3’ region of nopaline synthase (Bevan, et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 11:369-385 (1983)). c. Sequences for Expression Enhancement or Regulation Numerous sequences have been found to enhance gene expression from within the transcriptional unit and these sequences can be used in conjunction with the genes to increase their expression in engineered plants. For example, various intron sequences such as introns of the maize Adh1 gene have been shown to enhance expression, particularly in monocotyledonous 19 45728333.1 cells. In addition, a number of non-translated leader sequences derived from viruses are also known to enhance expression, and these are particularly effective in dicotyledonous cells. d. Coding Sequence Optimization The coding sequence of the COR or COR-like genes and / or other transgenes can be genetically engineered by altering the coding sequence for optimal expression (also referred to herein as “codon optimized”) in the crop species of interest. Methods for modifying coding sequences to achieve optimal expression in a particular crop species are well known (see, e.g. Perlak, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 3324 (1991); and Koziel, et al, Biotechnol.11: 194 (1993)). Therefore, in some embodiments, the disclosed nucleic acids sequences, or fragments or variants thereof, are genetically engineered for optimal expression in the crop species of interest. e. Selectable Markers Genetic constructs may encode a selectable marker to enable selection of transformation events, e.g., nuclear transformation events. There are many methods that have been described for the selection of transformed plants [for review see (Miki et al., Journal of Biotechnology, 107:193-232 (2004) and references incorporated within]. Selectable marker genes that have been used extensively in plants include the neomycin phosphotransferase gene nptII (U.S. Patent Nos.5,034,322, U.S.5,530,196), hygromycin resistance gene (U.S. Patent No.5,668,298), the bar gene encoding resistance to phosphinothricin (U.S. Patent No.5,276,268), the expression of aminoglycoside 3”-adenyltransferase (aadA) to confer spectinomycin resistance (U.S. Patent No. 5,073,675), the use of inhibition resistant 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate synthetase (U.S. Patent No.4,535,060) and methods for producing glyphosate tolerant plants (U.S. Patent No. 5,463,175; U.S. Patent No.7,045,684). Methods of plant selection that do not use antibiotics or herbicides as a selective agent have been previously described and include expression of glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase to inactivate glucosamine in plant selection medium (U.S. Pat. No.6,444,878) and a positive / negative system that utilizes D-amino acids (Erikson, et al., Nat Biotechnol, 22:455-8 (2004)). European Patent Publication No. EP 0530129 A1 describes a positive selection system which enables the transformed plants to outgrow the non-transformed lines by expressing a transgene encoding an enzyme that activates an inactive compound added to the growth media. U.S. Patent No.5,767,378 describes the use of mannose or xylose for the positive selection of engineered plants. Methods for positive selection using sorbitol dehydrogenase to convert sorbitol to fructose for plant growth have also been described (WO 2010 / 102293). Screenable reporter genes include the beta-glucuronidase gene (Jefferson, et al., 20 45728333.1 EMBO J.6:3901-3907 (1987); U.S. Patent No.5,268,463) and native or modified green fluorescent protein gene (Cubitt, et al., Trends Biochem. Sci.20:448-455 (1995); Pan, et al., Plant Physiol.112:893-900 (1996)). Transformation events can also be selected through visualization of fluorescent proteins such as the fluorescent proteins from the nonbioluminescent Anthozoa species which include DsRed, a red fluorescent protein from the Discosoma genus of coral (Matz, et al., Nat Biotechnol, 17:969-73 (1999)). An improved version of the DsRed protein has been developed (Bevis, et al., Nat Biotech, 20:83-87 (2002)) for reducing aggregation of the protein. Visual selection can also be performed with the yellow fluorescent proteins (YFP) including the variant with accelerated maturation of the signal (Nagai, et al., Nat Biotech, 20:87-90 (2002), the blue fluorescent protein, the cyan fluorescent protein, and the green fluorescent protein (Sheen, et al., Plant J, 8:777-84 (1995); Davis, et al., Plant Molecular Biology, 36:521-528 (1998)). A summary of fluorescent proteins can be found in Tzfira, et al., Plant Molecular Biology, 57:503- 516 (2005) and Verkhusha, et al., Nat Biotech, 22:289-296 (2004) whose references are incorporated in their entirety. Improved versions of many of the fluorescent proteins have been made for various applications. Use of the improved versions of these proteins or the use of combinations of these proteins for selection of transformants will be obvious to those skilled in the art. It is also practical to simply analyze progeny from transformation events for the presence of the PHB thereby avoiding the use of any selectable marker. For plastid transformation constructs, a preferred selectable marker is the spectinomycin- resistant allele of the plastid 16S ribosomal RNA gene (Staub, et al., Plant Cell 4:39-45 (1992); Svab, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:8526-8530 (1990)). Selectable markers that have since been successfully used in plastid transformation include the bacterial aadA gene that encodes aminoglycoside 3’-adenyltransferase (AadA) conferring spectinomycin and streptomycin resistance (Svab, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90:913-917 (1993), nptII that encodes aminoglycoside phosphotransferase for selection on kanamycin (Carrer, et al., Mol. Gen. Genet.241:49-56 (1993); Lutz, et al., Plant J., 37: 906-913 (2004); Lutz KA, et al., Plant Physiol.145: 1201-1210 (2007)), aphA6, another aminoglycoside phosphotransferase (Huang F- C, et al, Mol. Genet. Genomics 268: 19-27 (2002)), and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (Li, et al., Plant Mol Biol, DOI 10.1007 / s11103-010-9678-4 (2010)). Another selection scheme has been reported that uses a chimeric betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase gene (BADH) capable of converting toxic betaine aldehyde to nontoxic glycine betaine (Daniell, et al., Curr. Genet., 39:109-116 (2001)). 21 45728333.1 f. Targeting Sequences The disclosed vectors and constructs may further include, within the region that encodes the protein to be expressed, one or more nucleotide sequences encoding a targeting sequence. A “targeting” sequence is a nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid sequence or motif that directs the encoded protein to a particular cellular compartment, resulting in localization or compartmentalization of the protein. Presence of a targeting amino acid sequence in a protein typically results in translocation of all or part of the targeted protein across an organelle membrane and into the organelle interior. Alternatively, the targeting peptide may direct the targeted protein to remain embedded in the organelle membrane. The “targeting” sequence or region of a targeted protein may contain a string of contiguous amino acids or a group of noncontiguous amino acids. The targeting sequence can be selected to direct the targeted protein to a plant organelle such as a nucleus, a microbody (e.g., a peroxisome, or a specialized version thereof, such as a glyoxysome) an endoplasmic reticulum, an endosome, a vacuole, a plasma membrane, a cell wall, a mitochondria, a chloroplast or a plastid. A chloroplast targeting sequence is any peptide sequence that can target a protein to the chloroplasts or plastids, such as the transit peptide of the small subunit of the alfalfa ribulose-biphosphate carboxylase (Khoudi, et al., Gene, 197:343-351 (1997)). A peroxisomal targeting sequence refers to any peptide sequence, either N-terminal, internal, or C-terminal, that can target a protein to the peroxisomes, such as the plant C-terminal targeting tripeptide SKL (Banjoko, et al., Plant Physiol., 107:1201- 1208 (1995); Wallace et al., Plant Organellular Targeting Sequences, in Plant Molecular Biology, Ed. R. Croy, BIOS Scientific Publishers Limited 287-288 (1993), and peroxisomal targeting in plant is shown in M. Volokita, The Plant J., 361-366 (1991)). Plastid targeting sequences are known in the art and include the chloroplast small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) (de Castro Silva Filho et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 30:769-780 (1996); Schnell, et al. J. Biol. Chem.266(5):3335-3342 (1991)); 5- (enolpyruvyl)shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) (Archer, et al., J. Bioenerg. Biomemb. 22(6):789-810 (1990)); tryptophan synthase (Zhao, et al., J. Biol. Chem.270(11):6081-6087 (1995)); plastocyanin (Lawrence, et al., J. Biol. Chem.272(33):20357-20363 (1997)); chorismate synthase (Schmidt, et al., J. Biol. Chem.268(36):27447-27457 (1993)); and the light harvesting chlorophyll a / b binding protein (LHBP) (Lamppa, et al,. J. Biol. Chem.263:14996- 14999 (1988)). See also Von Heijne, et al., Plant Mol. Biol. Rep.9:104-126 (1991); Clark, et al., J. Biol. Chem.264:17544-17550 (1989); Della-Cioppa, et al., Plant Physiol.84:965-968 (1987); Romer, et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.196:1414-1421 (1993); and Shah, et al., 22 45728333.1 Science 233:478-481 (1986). Alternative plastid targeting signals have also been described in the following: US 2008 / 0263728; Miras, et al., J Biol Chem, 277:49 (2002): 47770-8; Miras, et al., J Biol Chem, 282:29482-29492 (2007). B. Plants and Tissues for Transfection, Introgression, and Breeding The disclosed transgenes can be transformed into any suitable plant to provide an engineered plant expressing a COR or COR-like gene. Both dicotyledons (“dicots”) and monocotyledons (“monocots”) can be used. Monocot seedlings typically have one cotyledon (seed-leaf), in contrast to the two cotyledons typical of dicots. The plants can also be eudicots ‘primitive’ dicots, or basal angiosperms, such as the magnolia family. Monocots include one of the large divisions of Angiosperm plants (flowering plants with seeds protected within a vessel). Many of them are herbaceous plants with parallel veined leaves and have an embryo with a single cotyledon, as opposed to dicot plants (dicotyledonous), which have an embryo with two cotyledons. Some monocots are perennials. Most of the important staple crops of the world, the so-called cereals, such as wheat, barley, rice, maize, sorghum, oats, rye and millet, are monocots. Thus, the plant can be a grass, such as wheat, barley, rice, maize, sorghum, oats, rye and millet. The plant can therefore be a cereal crop such as wheat, oat, barley, or rice; a forage such as alfalfa, bahiagrass, dallisgrass, kleingrass, guineagrass, reed canarygrass, orchardgrass, ricegrass, foxtail, or vetch; a legume such as soybean, lentil, or chickpea; an oilseed such as canola; a vegetable such as onion or carrot; or a specialty crop such as caraway, hemp, or sesame. Example of wheat include, but are not limited to, T. aestivum, T. aethiopicum, T. araraticum, T. boeoticum, T. carthlicum, T. compactum, T. dicoccoides, T. dicoccon, T. durum, T. ispahanicum, T. karamyschevii, T. monococcum, T. polonicum, T. spelta, T. thaoudar, T. timopheevii, T. turanicum, T. turgidum, T. urartu, T. vavilovii, and T. zhukovskyi. In some embodiments, the plant is alfalfa, i.e., Medicago sativa. In some embodiments, the plant is a soybean. For example, the soybean plant can be Jack, Resnik, Williams 82, Corsoy, Crawford, Hutcheson, Kunitz, Champ, Benning, or Woodruff. Additional suitable soybean varieties are available from both academic and commercial institutions, such as—for example—the University of Guelph (Ontario Agricultural College; e.g. soybean varieties RCAT Staples, Westag 97, RCAT Bobcat, OAC Prudence, OAC Woodstock, OAC 9908), or soybean varieties from Daryland or Soygenetics. Additional suitable 23 45728333.1 varieties are P1548402 (Peking), P1437654 (Er-hejjan), P1438489 (Chiquita), P1507354 (Tokei 421), P1548655 (Forrest), P1548988 (Pickett), P188788, P1404198 (Sun Huan Do), P1404166 (Krasnoaarmejkaja), Hartwig, Manokin, Doles, Dyer, and Custer. In some embodiments, the plant is a miscanthus. Thus, the plant can be of the species Miscanthus floridulus, Miscanthus x. giganteus, Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Amur silver-grass), Miscanthus sinensis, Miscanthus tinctorius, or Miscanthus transmorrisonensis. In some embodiments, the plant is a Brassicaceae family member, including but not limited to those mentioned above. Additional representative plants useful in the compositions and methods disclosed herein include tomatoes; crops harvested as biomass, such as poplar; silage corn, alfalfa, switchgrass, and tobacco; industrial oilseeds such as Camelina sativa, Crambe, Jatropha, castor; cottonseed; sunflower; palm; coconut; rice; safflower; peanut; mustards including Sinapis alba; sugarcane and flax. The modified plant and the plant from which the COR or COR-like gene originates are preferably different. For example, if the COR or COR-like gene is from Arabidopsis, the engineered plant is typically not an Arabidopsis plant, though it may be another Brassicaceae family member or unrelated plant. In the experiments below, Arabidopsis COR genes were expressed in tomato, tobacco, alfalfa, and poplar engineered plants. III. Methods of Making Engineered Plants A. Transgenic Plants 1. Plant Transformation Techniques The transformation of suitable agronomic plant hosts using vectors expressing transgenes can be accomplished with a variety of methods and plant tissues. Representative tissues for transformation using these vectors include protoplasts, cells, callus tissue, leaf discs, pollen, and meristems. Representative transformation procedures include Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, biolistics, microinjection, electroporation, polyethylene glycol-mediated protoplast transformation, liposome-mediated transformation, and silicon fiber-mediated transformation (U.S. Patent No.5,464,765 to Coffee, et al.; “Gene Transfer to Plants” (Potrykus, et al., eds.) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York (1995); “Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial and Pharmaceutical Proteins” (Owen, et al., eds.) John Wiley & Sons Ltd. England (1996); and “Methods in Plant Molecular Biology: A Laboratory Course Manual” (Maliga et al. eds.) Cold Spring Laboratory Press, New York (1995)). 24 45728333.1 Plants can be transformed by a number of reported procedures (U.S. Patent Nos. 5,015,580 to Christou, et al.; 5,015,944 to Bubash; 5,024,944 to Collins, et al.; 5,322,783 to Tomes et al.; 5,416,011 to Hinchee et al.; 5,169,770 to Chee et al.). A number of transformation procedures have been reported for the production of transgenic maize plants including pollen transformation (U.S. Patent No.5,629,183 to Saunders et al.), silicon fiber-mediated transformation (U.S. Patent No.5,464,765 to Coffee et al.), electroporation of protoplasts (U.S. Patent Nos.5,231,019 Paszkowski et al.; 5,472,869 to Krzyzek et al.; 5,384,253 to Krzyzek et al.), gene gun (U.S. Patent Nos.5,538,877 to Lundquist et al. and 5,538,880 to Lundquist et al.), and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (EP 0604662 A1 and WO 94 / 00977 both to Hiei Yukou et al.). The Agrobacterium-mediated procedure is particularly preferred as single integration events of the transgene constructs are more readily obtained using this procedure which greatly facilitates subsequent plant breeding. Plants can be transformed by particle bombardment (U.S. Patent Nos.5,004,863 to Umbeck and 5,159,135 to Umbeck). Sunflower can be transformed using a combination of particle bombardment and Agrobacterium infection (EP 0486233 A2 to Bidney, Dennis; U.S. Patent No.5,030,572 to Power et al.). Flax can be transformed by either particle bombardment or Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Switchgrass can be transformed using either biolistic or Agrobacterium mediated methods (Richards, et al., Plant Cell Rep., 20:48-54 (2001); Somleva, et al., Crop Science, 42:2080-2087 (2002)). Methods for sugarcane transformation have also been described (Franks, et al., Aust. J. Plant Physiol.18:471-480 (1991); WO 2002 / 037951 to Elliott, et al., et al.). Recombinase technologies which are useful in practicing the current invention include the cre-lox, FLP / FRT and Gin systems. Methods by which these technologies can be used for the purpose described herein are described for example in (U.S. Patent No.5,527,695 to Hodges et al.; Dale, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:10558-10562 (1991); Medberry, et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 23: 485-490 (1995)). Engineered minichromosomes can also be used to express one or more genes in plant cells. Cloned telomeric repeats introduced into cells may truncate the distal portion of a chromosome by the formation of a new telomere at the integration site. Using this method, a vector for gene transfer can be prepared by trimming off the arms of a natural plant chromosome and adding an insertion site for large inserts (Yu, et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 103:17331-6 (2006); Yu, et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA,104:8924-9 (2007)). The utility of engineered minichromosome platforms has been shown using Cre / lox and FRT / FLP site-specific recombination systems on a maize minichromosome where the ability to undergo recombination 25 45728333.1 was demonstrated (Yu, et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 103:17331-6 (2006); Yu, et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A,104:8924-9 (2007)). Such technologies could be applied to minichromosomes, for example, to add genes to an engineered plant. Site specific recombination systems have also been demonstrated to be valuable tools for marker gene removal (Kerbach, et al.,Theor. Appl. Genet.111:1608–1616 (2005)), gene targeting Chawla, et al., Plant Biotechnol .J, 4:209–218 (2006); Choi, et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 28: E19 (2000); Srivastava, et al., Plant Mol Biol.46:561–566 (2001); Lyznik, et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 21:969– 975 (1993)) and gene conversion (Djukanovic, et al., Plant Biotechnol J., 4:345–357 (2006)). An alternative approach to chromosome engineering in plants involves in vivo assembly of autonomous plant minichromosomes (Carlson, et al., PloS Genet., 3:1965-74 (2007)). Plant cells can be transformed with centromeric sequences and screened for plants that have assembled autonomous chromosomes de novo. Useful constructs combine a selectable marker gene with genomic DNA fragments containing centromeric satellite and retroelement sequences and / or other repeats. Another approach useful to the described invention is Engineered Trait Loci (“ETL”) technology (US Patent 6,077,697; US Patent Application 2006 / 0143732). This system targets DNA to a heterochromatic region of plant chromosomes, such as the pericentric heterochromatin, in the short arm of acrocentric chromosomes. Targeting sequences may include ribosomal DNA (rDNA) or lambda phage DNA. The pericentric rDNA region supports stable insertion, low recombination, and high levels of gene expression. This technology is also useful for stacking of multiple traits in a plant (US Patent Application 2006 / 0246586). Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) or CRISPR-Cas nucleases are also useful in that they allow double strand DNA cleavage at specific sites in plant chromosomes such that targeted gene insertion or deletion can be performed (Shukla, et al., Nature, 459(7245):437-41 (2009)); Townsend et al., Nature, 459(7245):442-5 (2009)). Following transformation by any one of the methods described above, the following procedures can, for example, be used to obtain a transformed plant expressing the transgenes: select the plant cells that have been transformed on a selective medium, regenerate the plant cells that have been transformed to produce differentiated plants, select transformed plants expressing the transgene producing the desired level of desired polypeptide(s) in the desired tissue and cellular location. Transformation techniques for dicotyledons are well known in the art and include Agrobacterium-based techniques and techniques that do not require Agrobacterium. Non- 26 45728333.1 Agrobacterium techniques involve the uptake of heterologous genetic material directly by protoplasts or cells. This is accomplished by PEG or electroporation mediated uptake, particle bombardment-mediated delivery, or microinjection. In each case the transformed cells may be regenerated to whole plants using standard techniques known in the art. Transformation of most monocotyledon species has now become somewhat routine. Preferred techniques include direct gene transfer into protoplasts using PEG or electroporation techniques, particle bombardment into callus tissue or organized structures, as well as Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Plants from transformation events are grown, propagated and bred to yield progeny with the desired trait, and seeds are obtained with the desired trait, using processes well known in the art. 2. Plastid Transformation In another embodiment the transgene is directly transformed into the plastid genome. Plastid transformation technology is extensively described in U.S. Patent Nos.5,451,513 to Maliga et al., 5,545,817 to McBride et al., and 5,545,818 to McBride et al., in PCT application no. WO 95 / 16783 to McBride et al., and in McBride, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:7301- 7305 (1994). The basic technique for chloroplast transformation involves introducing regions of cloned plastid DNA flanking a selectable marker together with the gene of interest into a suitable target tissue, e.g., using biolistics or protoplast transformation (e.g., calcium chloride or PEG mediated transformation). The 1 to 1.5 kb flanking regions, termed targeting sequences, facilitate homologous recombination with the plastid genome and thus allow the replacement or modification of specific regions of the plastome. Suitable plastids that can be transfected include, but are not limited to, chloroplasts, etioplasts, chromoplasts, leucoplasts, amyloplasts, proplastids, statoliths, elaioplasts, proteinoplasts and combinations thereof. 3. Methods for Reproducing Transgenic Plants Following transformation by any one of the methods described above, the following procedures can be used to obtain a transformed plant expressing the transgenes: select the plant cells that have been transformed on a selective medium; regenerate the plant cells that have been transformed to produce differentiated plants; select transformed plants expressing the transgene producing the desired level of desired polypeptide(s) in the desired tissue and cellular location. Methods can include vegetative propagation, e.g., for forest / fruit / nut trees or species that do not produce seed. Vegetative propagation is an asexual method of plant reproduction that occurs in its leaves, roots and stem. This can occur through fragmentation and regeneration of 27 45728333.1 specific vegetative parts of plants. Vegetative propagation can be naturally e.g., without further human intervention, or artificially, e.g., by cutting, grafting, layering, tissue culturing, etc. In plastid transformation procedures, further rounds of regeneration of plants from explants of a transformed plant or tissue can be performed to increase the number of transgenic plastids such that the transformed plant reaches a state of homoplasmy (all plastids contain uniform plastomes containing transgene insert). The cells that have been transformed may be grown into plants in accordance with conventional techniques. See, for example, McCormick et al. Plant Cell Reports, 5:81- 84(1986). These plants may then be grown, and either pollinated with the same transformed variety or different varieties, and the resulting hybrid having constitutive expression of the desired phenotypic characteristic identified. Two or more generations may be grown to ensure that constitutive expression of the desired phenotypic characteristic is stably maintained and inherited and then seeds harvested to ensure constitutive expression of the desired phenotypic characteristic has been achieved. In some scenarios, it may be advantageous to insert a multi-gene pathway into the plant by crossing of lines containing portions of the pathway to produce hybrid plants in which the entire pathway has been reconstructed. This is especially the case when high levels of product in a seed compromises the ability of the seed to germinate or the resulting seedling to survive under normal soil growth conditions. Use of lines that possess cytoplasmic male sterility (Esser, et al., Progress in Botany, Springer Berlin Heidelberg.67:31-52 (2006)) with the appropriate maintainer and restorer lines allows these hybrid lines to be produced efficiently. Cytoplasmic male sterility systems are already available for some Brassicaceae species (Esser, et al., Progress in Botany, Springer Berlin Heidelberg.67:31-52 (2006)). B. Viral-mediated Expression Plant viruses can deliver foreign genetic material systemically throughout the plant. Thus, viruses and viral vector incorporating the disclosed COR and COR-like expression constructs are provided. Expression of this genetic material using viral systems can be maintained over long periods of time, and, in some cases, the plants are completely asymptomatic. Numerous DNA and RNA viruses that have been explored as gene delivery tools, can be selected by the practitioner based on each system’s strengths and weaknesses, and the desired results. Geminiviruses, which are single stranded DNA viruses, normally have limited cargo capacities. However, their cargo capacity can be augmented using geminivirus-derived replicons, which enables delivery of relatively large DNA cargos at high concentrations. This 28 45728333.1 capacity has been leveraged to deliver high-copy repair templates for genome editing purposes. However, this large cargo capacity comes at the cost of mobility, and these viruses have also been reported to perturb the plants cell cycle as part of their replication process. Single stranded RNA viruses do not suffer from this drawback. These viruses have either positive or negative stranded genomes packaged within their capsids. Of these, positive strand RNA viruses have been more extensively studied, making engineering them for gene delivery straightforward. Additionally, they require no pre-existing proteins to initially facilitate infection, unlike negative single strand viruses. Strategies for using viral vectors to deliver foreign genetic cargo to plants are known in the art. See e.g., Khakhar and Voytas, Front. Plant Sci., (2021), pg.1-10, doi.org / 10.3389 / fpls.2021.668580, Pasin, et al., Plant Biotechnol J.17(6): 1010–1026 (2019), and Torti, et al., Nature Plants, 7:159-171 (2021), doi.org / 10.1038 / s41477-021-00851-y each of which is specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. In general, developing viral vectors involves identifying a region of the viral genome that is amenable to the insertion of an additional coding sequence, which is either expressed in tandem with a viral protein and post- translationally separated with a 2A peptide or expressed from a sub-genomic promoter. Plants can be inoculated using DNA or RNA infectious molecules, which can be obtained from infected plant samples or plasmid‐based infectious clones. These molecules can be stably propagated in bacteria to produce large amounts of inoculum. For RNA viruses, cDNA copies of virus genomes can be driven by bacteriophage promoters and transcribed in vitro to generate infectious RNA genomes. Plasmid clones of DNA viruses and RNA viruses whose cDNA genomes are driven by promoter sequences active in plants can be inoculated directly to plants by physical methods, that is, with the help of abrasives or biolistic devices. Agrobacterium can be used for stable or transient transformation of plant cells with exogenous DNA molecules. A major discovery in plant virology was the demonstration that Agrobacterium can launch virus infections by treatment of host leaves with bacterial strains that harbor infectious clones of plant viruses. Briefly, single or multiple copies of virus genomes are inserted between the T‐DNA left and right borders of a plasmid suitable for Agrobacterium replication. Once bacteria contact plant tissues, T‐DNA cassettes are transferred into host cells, and host transcription and translation of T‐DNA sequences trigger synthesis of the viral components needed to start autonomous infections. T‐DNA cassettes do not require stable integration in host genomes, and transient expression is sufficient to achieve plant infection. This 29 45728333.1 feature, together with Agrobacterium promiscuity and its extensive host range, has made agro‐ inoculation a method successfully applied to dicot and monocot plants as well as herbaceous and woody hosts, including citrus, grapevine or apple. In some embodiments, the agrobacterium is simply sprayed onto one or more surfaces of the plant to induce delivery of the engineered constructs. Given its simplicity and convenience, agro‐inoculation is thus an efficient and universal way of delivering to plants DNA or RNA viruses and subviral agents, such as viroids and satellites. Binary infectious clones have been reported for many virus, satellite and viroid species with mono‐ or multipartite genomes, and which belong to phylogenetically diverse families, including, but not limited to, those in Table 1 below. Table 1: Viral and subviral agent taxonomy, genome properties and availability of infectious clones in binary vectors (binary clone) ( adapted from Pasin, et al., Plant Biotechnol J.17(6): 1010–1026 (2019)) Agent | Type | Family 15 Families in Table 1 are subdivided according to types of nucleic acid: ds and ss, double‐ and single‐stranded genomes respectively; (−), negative‐ and negative / positive‐ssRNA and (+), 30 45728333.1 positive‐ssRNA viruses. Acronyms indicate representative species with reported infectious clones in binary vectors: n.r., not reported; ASBVd, Avocado sunblotch viroid; PSTVd, Potato spindle tuber viroid; AYVSGA, Ageratum yellow vein Singapore alphasatellite; AYVB, Ageratum yellow vein betasatellite; satBaMV, Bamboo mosaic virus satellite RNA; CaMV, Cauliflower mosaic virus; FBNSV, Faba bean necrotic stunt virus; MSV, Maize streak virus; SYNV, Sonchus yellow net virus; PHRE2, Phyllostachys edulis retrotransposon 2; BYV, Beet yellows virus; BNYVV, Beet necrotic yellow vein virus; CPMV, Cowpea mosaic virus; TuMV, Turnip mosaic virus; AMV, Alfalfa mosaic virus; PopMV, Poplar mosaic virus; NtaTnt1V, Nicotiana tabacum Tnt1 virus; PVX, Potato virus X; TMV, Tobacco mosaic virus; TYMV, Turnip yellow mosaic virus; TuYV, Turnip yellows virus; SeMV, Sesbania mosaic virus; TCV, Turnip crinkle virus; OuMV, Ourmia melon virus. Any of the foregoing families or specific viruses can be used for delivery and expression of the disclosed COR and COR-like constructs. Assembly of binary infectious clones is relatively straightforward for DNA viruses, since their genomes can be subcloned directly into plasmid vectors and they harbor elements needed to drive expression of viral genes in plant. In contrast, cloning RNA viruses requires additional manipulation steps, for example, cDNA synthesis, and inclusion of promoter, terminator sequences that regulate expression of viral components in plants. Compositions, methods, and strategies for foreign gene expression in plants using DNA and RNA viruses are known in the art and thus be adapted for expression of the disclosed COR and COR-like expression constructs, and such compositions, methods, and strategies for use in COR and COR-like gene expression are expressly disclosed. See, e.g., Pasin, et al., Plant Biotechnol J.17(6): 1010–1026 (2019), and references cited therein, which are specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. C. Breeding The engineered plants, most particularly, but not limited to, the transgenic plants, can be breed with themselves, or with other plants to create hybrid plants. 1. Methods of Breeding Hybrid Plants Field crops are bred through techniques that take advantage of the plant’s method of pollination. A plant is self-pollinated if pollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the same plant. A plant is cross-pollinated if the pollen comes from a flower on a different plant. Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type for many generations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population of true breeding progeny. A cross between two different homozygous lines produces a uniform population of 31 45728333.1 hybrid plants that may be heterozygous for many gene loci. A cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number of gene loci will produce a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically and may not be uniform. The plants disclosed herein include hybrid plants which can be produced using any known breeding techniques. Hybrids are the product of a cross between genetically different parents. The development of hybrids in a plant breeding program often involves the development of homozygous inbred lines, the crossing of these lines, and the evaluation of the crosses. Most plant breeding programs combine the genetic backgrounds from two or more inbred lines or various other broad-based sources into breeding pools from which new inbred lines are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. Hybrids can also be used as a source of plant breeding material or as source populations from which to develop or derive new plant lines. The expression of a trait in a hybrid may exceed the midpoint of the amount expressed by the two parents, which is known as hybrid vigor. Plant breeding techniques known in the art include, but are not limited to, recurrent selection, pedigree breeding, DNA marker enhanced selection, genetic marker enhanced selection and transformation. Inbred lines may, for instance, be derived from hybrids by using said methods as pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding. Newly developed inbreds are crossed with other inbred lines and the hybrids from these crosses are evaluated to determine which of those have commercial potential. Pedigree breeding is a system of breeding in which individual plants are selected in the segregating generations from a cross on the basis of their desirability judged individually and on the basis of a pedigree record. Recurrent selection is a breeding method based upon intercrossing selected individuals followed by continuing cycles of selection and intercrossing to increase the frequency of desired alleles in the population. Recurrent selection may, for instance, be performed by backcross breeding, which involves a system of breeding whereby recurrent backcrosses are made to one of the parents of a hybrid, accompanied by selection for a specific character or characters. The backcross is the cross of a hybrid to either of its parents. Backcrossing can for instance be used to transfer a specific desirable trait that is present in a donor plant line to another, superior plant line (e.g. an inbred line) that lacks that trait. The first step of this process involves crossing the superior plant line (recurrent parent) to a donor plant line (non-recurrent parent), that carries the appropriate gene(s) for the trait in 32 45728333.1 question. The progeny of this cross is then mated back to the superior recurrent parent followed by selection in the resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from the non-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations with selection for the desired trait and for the germplasm inherited from the recurrent parent, the progeny will be homozygous for loci controlling the characteristic being transferred, but will be like the superior parent for essentially all other genes. The last backcross generation is then selfed to give pure breeding progeny for the gene(s) being transferred. A hybrid developed from inbreds containing the transferred gene(s) is essentially the same as a hybrid developed from the same inbreds without the transferred gene(s). Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, is another hybrid breeding technique. Introgressive hybridization results in the movement of one or more genes (gene flow) from one species into the gene pool of another by repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parent species. Introgression is a long-term process; it may take many hybrid generations before the backcrossing is completed. One example of introgressive hybridization is known as advanced backcross-self breeding. The AB method consists of crossing one parental line (donor parent) with another parental line (recurrent parent) to produce F1progeny. The F1progeny can be optionally self- crossed to generate F2 progeny. The F1 or F2 progeny is then crossed with the recurrent parent to produce a backcross progeny (BC1). BC1are selected and crossed again with the recurrent parent resulting in a second generation of backcross progeny (BC2). BC2 can be optionally backcrossed with the recurrent parent to generate a third generation of backcross progeny (BC3). Plants from the BC2 and / or the BC3 generation are then allowed to self-pollinate for one or more generations, followed by evaluation for presence of the characteristics transferred from the donor parent. Methods for evaluating the presence of donor characteristics can be accomplished using any technique known in the art. Specific methods for evaluating the presence of donor characteristics, are described in detail in the examples below. The disclosed COR and COR-like transgenes can be used to establish a breeding program to cultivate hybrid plants with one or more of desired phenotypic characteristics. Because quantitative traits are phenotypic characteristics that vary in degree and may include environmental influence, breeders may also take into consideration the breeding environment and or breeding location when cultivating the plants disclosed herein. 33 45728333.1 IV. Methods of Use Methods of using the disclosed plants are also provided and include planting an engineered plant such as a transgenic plant, or a part thereof such as seeds, optionally growing the plant for a fixed or indefinite period of time, and optionally harvesting the plant or part(s) thereof. The disclosed engineered plants are particularly resilient in tissue culture and in soil. The plants are well suited to withstand water- and nutrient-deficient conditions for extended periods of time relative to their wildtype counterparts. In some embodiments, the engineered plants can overcome natural (e.g., environmental) or induced (e.g., at the hand of man) growth penalties including, but not limited to, juvenile senescence, dwarfism, temperature-sensitive dwarfism, and / or the like. The plants are therefore highly suited for improving crop growth including, but not limited to, forage or bioenergy crop growth, in marginal land. Marginal land is land that has little or no agricultural or industrial value. Marginal land is generally considered to have little potential for profit and often has poor soil or other undesirable characteristics. This type of land is often located at the edge of deserts or other desolate areas. Land that is a prohibitive distance from roads and other means of transportation is often labeled marginal. In the United States, much of it can be found in southwestern states such as Nevada and Arizona. Sometimes called “degraded,” “idle,” or “surplus” land, it is marked by its inability to produce crops of any kind or otherwise yield a profit. More specifically, crops produced on marginal land would be worth less than the cost of renting it. Marginal land has often been negatively affected by human activity such as industrial pollution. It may also suffer from an insufficient water supply or a severe slope. One common type of marginal land is land that was once used for agricultural or other human purposes and has since been abandoned. Such sites are often marked by erosion, salinization and / or low organic carbon contents. Disused farms and pasturelands, as well as abandoned mines, are examples of this type of marginal land. Other examples include sites of recurring episodes of drought and / or wildfires that affect the land, particularly farm lands for food, forage, or tree farms. The improved growth capabilities of the disclosed engineered plants make them well suited to overcome traditional barriers to growing crops on marginal land. Thus, in some embodiments, the disclosed methods include planting a disclosed engineered plant, or a plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof such as seeds, on marginal land, optionally growing the engineered plant for a fixed or indefinite period of time on the marginal land, and optionally 34 45728333.1 harvesting the plant or part(s) thereof. Typically, the engineered plant grows better than its wildtype counterpart on the marginal land. In some embodiments, the engineered plant grows on land where its wildtype counterpart plant is incapable of growing. The disclosure can be further understood by the following numbered paragraphs: 1. An engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof comprising a polynucleotide comprising an expression control sequence(s) operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a heterologous cold-regulated (COR) or COR-like gene. 2. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of paragraph 1, wherein the nucleic acid increases growth and / or survival of the engineered plant, or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof in water- and nutrient-deficient conditions, optionally for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 days, weeks, months, or years relative to the counterpart non-engineered wildtype plant of the same species or cultivar. 3. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of paragraphs 1 or 2, wherein the COR or COR-like gene is from the Brassiceae family, alfalfa, or wheat. 4. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of any one of paragraphs 1-3, wherein the COR or COR-like gene is from Arabidopsis thaliana. 5. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of any one of paragraphs 1-4, wherein the COR or COR-like gene is selected from COR6.6, COR15A, COR15B, KIN1, COR47, ERD10, LTI30, AT4G30650, cas15, or wcs120 and homologues, orthologues, and paralogues thereof, optionally wherein the COR or COR-like gene encodes a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS:1-11, or a variant thereof with at least 70% sequence identity thereto. 6. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of any one of paragraphs 1-5, wherein the expression control sequence(s) comprises or consists of a promoter, transcriptional terminator, a sequence that enhances expression or regulation or a combination thereof. 7. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of any one of paragraphs 1-6, wherein the expression control sequence(s) comprises or consist of a promoter, and wherein the promoter is a constitutively active, inducible promoter, or tissue specific promoter, optionally wherein the promoter is a stress, drought or dehydration inducible promoter. 35 45728333.1 8. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of any one of paragraphs 1-7, wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding the COR gene is codon optimized for expression in the engineered plant. 9. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of any one of paragraphs 1-8, wherein the engineered plant is a tomato; soybean; a crop harvested as biomass such as poplar, silage corn, switchgrass, or tobacco; an industrial oilseed such as Camelina sativa, Crambe, Jatropha, or castor; cottonseed; sunflower; palm; coconut; rice; safflower; peanut; a mustard such as Sinapis alba; sugarcane; flax; a cereal crop such as wheat, oat, barley, or rice; a forage crop such as alfalfa, bahiagrass, dallisgrass, kleingrass, guineagrass, reed canarygrass, orchardgrass, ricegrass, foxtail, or vetch; a legume such as lentil, or chickpea; an oilseed such as canola; a vegetable such as onion or carrot; or a specialty crop such as caraway, hemp, or sesame. 10. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of any one of paragraphs 1-9, wherein the engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof is free from a transgene that directly or indirectly increases expression of salicylic acid, optionally wherein the plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof is free from all other transgenes. 11. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell of any one of paragraphs 1-10, wherein the polynucleotide is integrated into the plant’s genome, or stably or transiently expressed from a DNA or RNA virus or viral vector. 12. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell of any one of paragraphs 1-11, wherein the plant is a transgenic plant. 13. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell of any one of paragraphs 1-11, wherein the plant is not a transgenic plant. 14. The engineered plant of any one of paragraphs 1-13, wherein the polynucleotide is encoded by and stably or transiently expressed from a recombinant plant virus or viral vector. 15. A seed from any of the engineered plants according to any one of paragraphs 1- 14. 16. A foodstuff comprising a plant part from the engineered plant according to any one of paragraphs 1-15. 17. A method of growing an engineered plant comprising planting the engineered plant or a part thereof such as seeds of any one of paragraphs 1-16. 36 45728333.1 18. The method of paragraph 17 comprising growing the engineered plant for a fixed or indefinite period of time, and optionally for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 days, weeks, months, or years. 19. The method of paragraphs 17 or 18 comprising harvesting the engineered plant and / or plant material(s), tissue(s), part(s), and / or cell(s) thereof. 20. The method of paragraph 19, wherein the engineered plant is grown on marginal land, optionally wherein the marginal land is characterized by insufficient water supply, a severe slope, erosion, salinization, low organic carbon contents, is desert or desert adjacent, is subject to repeated drought and / or fire optionally wild fires, or any combination thereof. 21. The method of any one of paragraphs 17-20, wherein the engineered plant is a transgenic plant. 22. The method of any one of paragraphs 17-20, wherein the engineered plant is a non-transgenic plant. 23. The method of paragraph 22, wherein the non-transgenic plant is transfected with DNA or RNA plant virus or viral vector encoding the polynucleotide. 24. A plant, plant part, plant cell, or method as described herein in the text and / or figures. Examples Example 1: Expression of Arabidopsis thaliana COR genes in transgenic plants are resistant to drought and nutrient deficiency. Materials and Methods Transgenic Arabidopsis, poplar, tomato, and tobacco overexpressing AtCOR15A, A5COR15B or AtCOR6.6 under control of the double 35S promoter or the ACTIN2 (A2) promoter were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation as described above. Transgenic plants obtained from selection media were subcultured as needed and maintained in vitro or transplanted to soil and grown in a growth room. The amino acid sequences of encoded by the COR gene utilized in experiments include COR6.6 = SEQ ID NO:1, COR15A = SEQ ID NO:3, and COR15B = SEQ ID NO:4. The ACT2:COR15A and ACT2:COR15B constructs were also transformed into alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Regen SY) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens, following the protocol of Sangra, et al., “Long-Term Maintainable Somatic Embryogenesis System in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Using Leaf Explants: Embryogenic Sustainability Approach.” Plants (Basel).2019 Aug 9;8(8):278. doi: 10.3390 / plants8080278. PMID: 31405007; PMCID: PMC6724077.. 37 45728333.1 Results CORs were first identified by their strong induction during cold acclimation at nonfreezing (2-6ºC) temperatures (Thomashow et al., Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 19, 497-504 (1997)). Expression of CORs is also induced by salinity, drought, ABA (Baker et al., Plant Molecular Biology, 24, 701-713 (1994); Yamaguchi-Shinozaki and Shinozaki, Plant Cell, 6, 251-2641994), suboptimal temperatures. Suboptimal temperatures such as those frequent in spring and late summer can slow cellular activities and reduce growth (Willing and Leopold, Plant Physiology 71, 118-121 (1983); Andrews, Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 67, 1121- 1133 (1987)). COR15 and COR6.6 encode small disordered proteins of ~15 KDa and 6.6 KDa, respectively. As non-enzymatic proteins, CORs may confer freezing tolerance by stabilizing chloroplast membranes (e.g., COR15A) or as cryoprotective proteins (Browse and Xin, Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 4, 241-246 (2001); Thalhammer and Hincha, Plant Signaling & Behavior, 9, e977722 (2014)). Experiments tested the impact of COR gene overexpression under less-than-ideal growth conditions. Results show that overexpression of Arabidopsis COR15A, COR15B, or COR6.6 genes leads to remarkable resilience in tissue culture and in soil, for not only Arabidopsis plants, but also diverse heterologous plants including, tomato, tobacco, and poplar. The results are illustrated in Figures 1A-7, which show: images of wildtype (Col-0) (Figure 1A) and COR15A overexpressing (A2:COR15A (in Col-0 background)) (Figure 1B) Arabidopsis plants; images of wildtype (moneymaker) (Figure 2A) and COR15A overexpressing (A2:COR15A (in moneymaker background)) (Figure 2B) tomato plants. an image of wildtype (moneymaker) (on the right) and COR6.6 overexpressing (in moneymaker background) (on the left) tomato plants (Figure 2C); an image of wildtype (on the left) and COR15B overexpressing (in wildtype background) (on the right) two year old tobacco plants (Figure 3); an image showing wildtype (on the left) and COR15B overexpressing (in wildtype background) (on the right) poplar plants eight months after the last subculture (Figure 4); and an image showing a repeated the tissue culture experiments for poplar yielded similar responses up to 4-6 months, left to right taken at 4 months: Cas9 / transgenic vector control poplar (on the left) vs. COR15A overexpressing poplar (in the center) vs. COR15B overexpressing poplar (on the right) (Figure 5); 38 45728333.1 an image showing WT (left) and COR15B (right) alfalfa plants 6 months after the last subculture (Figure 6A); and an image showing vegetatively propagated alfalfa plants grown in soil subjected to water- withholding for 7 days. From left to right the plants are COR15B, COR15B, WT, and COR15A (Figure 6B). Tissue culture-maintained COR transgenics remained green and stayed alive for many months even when culture media have dried out, as shown for Arabidopsis (Figure 1A vs 1B) and poplar (Figure 4A vs 4B), or due to COVID-19 pandemic-related campus shutdown and laboratory access restriction as shown for tomato (Figure 2A vs 2B). Soil-grown COR transgenic plants also exhibited greater stress resilience, as shown for tobacco in Figure 3. The COR transgenic plant has been growing in a 6” pot for over 2 years with minimum care, irregular watering and repeated cutback. Control plants under similar conditions typically cannot survive. In the case of transgenic COR tomato (Fig.2C), prolonged flowering and delayed fruit ripening was observed when compared to similar age control plants or fruits. The results show that these plants can withstand water- and nutrient-deficient conditions for extended periods of time. COR-overexpressing plants are improved relative to their wildtype counters and show improved growth independent of manipulation of SA. COR transgenic plants are therefore well suited for improving forage or bioenergy crops in marginal land. See also a repeat experiment illustrated in Figure 5. The ACT2:COR15A and ACT2:COR15B constructs were also transformed into alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Regen SY) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. WT and transgenic plants were compared six months after their last subculture (Fig.6A). Transgenic plants remained alive, while WT plants had already died. Vegetatively propagated alfalfa plants were also grown in soil subjected to water- withholding for 7 days. The WT plants had wilted beyond recovery, while COR15 transgenics were still alive (Fig.6B). See also Ortega, et al, Altering cold-regulated gene expression decouples the salicylic acid–growth trade-off in Arabidopsis, The Plant Cell, Volume 36, Issue 10, October 2024, Pages 4293–4308 doi.org / 10.1093 / plcell / koae210, which is specifically incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of skill in the art to which the disclosed invention 39 45728333.1 belongs. Publications cited herein and the materials for which they are cited are specifically incorporated by reference. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the following claims. 40 45728333.1

Claims

We claim:

1. An engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof comprising a polynucleotide comprising an expression control sequence(s) operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a heterologous cold-regulated (COR) or COR-like gene.

2. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid increases growth and / or survival of the engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof in water- and nutrient-deficient conditions, optionally for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 days, weeks, months, or years relative to the counterpart non- engineered wildtype plant of the same species or cultivar.

3. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 2, wherein the COR or COR-like gene is from the Brassiceae family, alfalfa, or wheat.

4. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 3, wherein the COR or COR-like gene is from Arabidopsis thaliana.

5. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 1, wherein the COR or COR-like gene is selected from COR15B, COR6.6, COR15A, KIN1, COR47, ERD10, LTI30, AT4G30650, cas15, or wcs120 and homologues, orthologues, and paralogues thereof, optionally wherein the COR or COR-like gene encodes a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS:4, 1-3, or 5-11, or a variant thereof with at least 70% sequence identity thereto.

6. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 5, wherein the expression control sequence(s) comprises or consists of a promoter, transcriptional terminator, a sequence that enhances expression or regulation or a combination thereof.

7. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 6, wherein the expression control sequence(s) comprises or consist of a promoter, and wherein the promoter is a constitutively active, inducible promoter, or tissue specific promoter, optionally wherein the promoter is a stress, drought or dehydration inducible promoter.

8. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 7, wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding the COR gene is codon optimized for expression in the engineered plant.

9. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 6, wherein the engineered plant is a tomato; soybean; a crop harvested as biomass such as poplar, silage corn, switchgrass, or tobacco; an industrial oilseed such as Camelina sativa, Crambe, Jatropha, or castor; cottonseed; sunflower; palm; coconut; rice; safflower; peanut; a mustard such as Sinapis 41 45728333.1alba; sugarcane; flax; a cereal crop such as wheat, oat, barley, or rice; a forage crop such as alfalfa, bahiagrass, dallisgrass, kleingrass, guineagrass, reed canarygrass, orchardgrass, ricegrass, foxtail, or vetch; a legume such as lentil, or chickpea; an oilseed such as canola; a vegetable such as onion or carrot; or a specialty crop such as caraway, hemp, or sesame.

10. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof of claim 9, wherein the engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof is free from a transgene that directly or indirectly increases expression of salicylic acid, optionally wherein the plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell thereof is free from all other transgenes.

11. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell of claim 9, wherein the polynucleotide is integrated into the plant’s genome, or stably or transiently expressed from a DNA or RNA virus or viral vector.

12. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell of claim 5, wherein the plant is a transgenic plant.

13. The engineered plant or plant material, tissue, part, or cell of claim 5, wherein the plant is not a transgenic plant.

14. The engineered plant of claim 13, wherein the polynucleotide is encoded by and stably or transiently expressed from a recombinant plant virus or viral vector.

15. A seed from any of the engineered plants according to any one of claims 1-14.

16. A foodstuff comprising a plant part from the engineered plant according to any one of claims 1-14.

17. A method of growing an engineered plant comprising planting the engineered plant or a part thereof such as seeds of the engineered plant of any one of claims 1-14.

18. The method of claim 17 comprising growing the engineered plant for a fixed or indefinite period of time, and optionally for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 days, weeks, months, or years.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising harvesting the engineered plant and / or plant material(s), tissue(s), part(s), and / or cell(s) thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the engineered plant is grown on marginal land, optionally wherein the marginal land is characterized by insufficient water supply, a severe slope, erosion, salinization, low organic carbon contents, is desert or desert adjacent, is subject to repeated drought and / or fire optionally wild fires, or any combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the engineered plant is a transgenic plant.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the engineered plant is a non-transgenic plant. 42 45728333.

123. The method of claim 22, wherein the non-transgenic plant is transfected with DNA or RNA plant virus or viral vector encoding the polynucleotide. 43 45728333.1