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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for enhancing various yield-related traits by modulating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding an Ornithine Decarboxylase (ODC) polypeptide, a benzothiadiazole-induced homeodomain 1 (BIHD1) polypeptide, a MYB30, a THOM (tomato homeobox) protein, or a benzothiadiazole-induced homeodomain 2 (BIHD2) polypeptide. The present invention also concerns plants having modulated expression of such a nucleic acid, which plants have enhanced yield-related traits relative to corresponding control plants. The invention also provides constructs useful in the methods of the invention.

1 . A method for enhancing a yield-related trait in a plant relative to a corresponding control plant, comprising increasing expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding an Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide having at least 70% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 63. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting for a plant having an enhanced yield-related trait relative to a corresponding control plant. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said increased expression is effected by introducing and expressing in the plant a nucleic acid encoding said Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is capable of hybridizing with a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 62 under conditions comprising hybridization at 65° C. in 1× saline sodium citrate (SSC) or at 42° C. in 1×SSC and 50% formamide, followed by washing at 65° C. in 0.3×SSC. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related trait comprises increased early vigor, increased aboveground biomass, and/or increased seed yield relative to a corresponding control plant. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related trait comprises increased shoot biomass, increased number of filled seeds, increased total number of seeds and/or increased total seed yield relative to a corresponding control plant. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related trait is obtained under cultivation conditions of nitrogen deficiency. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said nucleic acid is operably linked to a constitutive promoter, a GOS2 promoter, or a GOS2 promoter from rice. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is of plant origin. 
     
     
         10 . A plant obtained by the method of  claim 1 , or a plant cell, plant part, seed, or progeny thereof, wherein said plant, or said plant cell, plant part, seed, or progeny thereof, comprises a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide 
     
     
         11 . A construct comprising:
 (i) a nucleic acid sequence encoding an Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 ;   (ii) one or more heterologous control sequences capable of driving expression of the nucleic acid sequence of (i); and optionally   (iii) a transcription termination sequence.   
     
     
         12 . The construct of  claim 11 , wherein one of said control sequences is a constitutive promoter, a GOS2 promoter, or a GOS2 promoter from rice. 
     
     
         13 . A method for making a plant having increased yield or increased seed yield relative to a corresponding control plant, comprising transforming the construct of  claim 11  into a plant, plant part, or plant cell. 
     
     
         14 . A plant, plant part or plant cell comprising the construct of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         15 . A method for the production of a transgenic plant having an increased yield-related trait relative to a corresponding control plant, comprising:
 (i) introducing and expressing in a plant a nucleic acid encoding an Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide having at least 70% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 63;   (ii) cultivating the plant under conditions promoting plant growth and development; and optionally   (iii) selecting for a plant having an enhanced yield-related trait relative to a corresponding control plant.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said yield-related trait comprises early vigor, aboveground biomass, shoot biomass, number of filled seeds, total number of seeds and/or total seed yield. 
     
     
         17 . A transgenic plant having increased yield or increased biomass relative to a corresponding control plant, resulting from increased expression of a nucleic acid encoding an Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 , or a transgenic plant cell derived from said transgenic plant. 
     
     
         18 . The transgenic plant of  claim 17 , or the transgenic plant cell derived therefrom, wherein said plant is a crop plant, a monocot or a cereal, or wherein said plant is rice, maize, wheat, barley, millet, rye, triticale, sorghum, or oats. 
     
     
         19 . Harvestable parts of the transgenic plant of  claim 18 , wherein said harvestable parts are shoot biomass and/or seeds and comprise a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide. 
     
     
         20 . Products derived from the transgenic plant of  claim 18  and/or from harvestable parts of said plant, wherein said product comprise a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said Ornithine Decarboxylase polypeptide.