Glyphosate tolerant alfalfa events and methods for detection thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides for alfalfa events J-101 and J-163 and DNA molecules unique to these events. The invention also provides methods for detecting the presence of these DNA molecules in a plant sample.

1 .- 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . An alfalfa plant transformed with the plant expression cassette of pMON20998. 
     
     
         30 .- 32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . A seed of the alfalfa plant of  claim 29  that comprises said expression cassette. 
     
     
         34 . A plant part of the plant of  claim 29  that comprises said expression cassette. 
     
     
         35 . The plant part of  claim 34 , wherein the plant part is pollen, an ovule, a flower, a shoot, a root, or a leaf. 
     
     
         36 . An alfalfa plant comprising a plant expression cassette comprising in operable connection a duplicated Figwort mosaic promoter, a  Petunia hybrida  Hsp70 leader, an  Arabidopsis  EPSPS chloroplast transit peptide coding sequence, an  Agrobacterium tumefaciens  strain CP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS, and a pea ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase 3′ termination region. 
     
     
         37 . The alfalfa plant of  claim 36 , wherein the plant expression cassette is present in pMON20998. 
     
     
         38 . A seed of the alfalfa plant of  claim 36  that comprises said expression cassette. 
     
     
         39 . A plant part of the plant of  claim 36  that comprises said expression cassette. 
     
     
         40 . The plant part of  claim 39 , wherein the plant part is pollen, an ovule, a flower, a shoot, a root, or a leaf. 
     
     
         41 . A method of producing a plant that tolerates application of glyphosate herbicide comprising:
 a) crossing a glyphosate tolerant alfalfa plant according to  claim 29  with a second parent plant that lacks the tolerance to glyphosate herbicide, thereby producing a plurality of first progeny plants;   b) selecting a first progeny plant that is tolerant to application of glyphosate;   c) selfing said first progeny plant that is tolerant to application of glyphosate, thereby producing a plurality of second progeny plants; and   d) selecting from said second progeny plants a glyphosate tolerant plant.   
     
     
         42 . A method of producing a plant that tolerates application of glyphosate herbicide comprising:
 a) crossing a glyphosate tolerant alfalfa plant according to  claim 36  with a second parent plant that lacks the tolerance to glyphosate herbicide, thereby producing a plurality of first progeny plants;   b) selecting a first progeny plant that is tolerant to application of glyphosate;   c) selfing said first progeny plant that is tolerant to application of glyphosate, thereby producing a plurality of second progeny plants; and   d) selecting from said second progeny plants a glyphosate tolerant plant.   
     
     
         43 . A method of producing essentially weed-free alfalfa hay, comprising:
 a) planting a field using seed according to  claim 33 ;   b) applying to the resulting field of alfalfa plants one or more doses of glyphosate sufficient to kill weeds but which is tolerated by the alfalfa plants; and   c) harvesting one or more crops of alfalfa hay from said field.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the one or more doses of glyphosate is about six pounds of acid equivalent per year. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein each dose of glyphosate is about 1.5 pounds of acid equivalent. 
     
     
         46 . A method of producing essentially weed-free alfalfa hay, comprising:
 a) planting a field using seed according to  claim 38 ;   b) applying to the resulting field of alfalfa plants one or more doses of glyphosate sufficient to kill weeds but which is tolerated by the alfalfa plants; and   c) harvesting one or more crops of alfalfa hay from said field.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the one or more doses of glyphosate is about six pounds of acid equivalent per year. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein each dose of glyphosate is about 1.5 pounds of acid equivalent.