Polynucleotides and methods for the improvement of plants

Abstract

The invention provides methods for producing a plant with altered seed yield, the methods comprising transformation of a plant with a genetic construct including a polynucleotide encoding of a polypeptide with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a variant or fragment thereof. The method also provides isolated polypeptides, polynucleotides, constructs and vectors useful for producing a plant with altered seed yield. The method also provides plant cell and plants transformed to contain and express the polypeptides, polynucleotides and constructs. The invention also provides plants produced by methods of the invention.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to compositions and methods for producing plants with increased seed yield.BACKGROUND ART[0002]As the population of the world increases, a major goal of agricultural research is to improve the grain yield of crop plant species.[0003]Such improvements have until recently depended on selective breeding of plants for desirable characteristics. However for many plants the heterogeneous genetic compliments produced in off-spring do not result in the same desirable traits as those of their parents, thus limiting the effectiveness of selective breeding approaches.[0004]Advances in molecular biology now make it possible to genetically manipulate the germplasm of both plants and animals. Genetic engineering of plants involves the isolation and manipulation of genetic material and the subsequent introduction of such material into a plant. This technology has led to the development of plants that are capable of expressing pharmaceuticals and o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This approach allows for the production of plants with increased or decreased seed yield relative to control plants, effectively addressing the limitations of traditional breeding methods by directly influencing seed production.

Problems solved by technology

However for many plants the heterogeneous genetic compliments produced in off-spring do not result in the same desirable traits as those of their parents, thus limiting the effectiveness of selective breeding approaches.

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