Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides and methods of using same for increasing plant yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, abiotic stress tolerance of plants and nitrogen use efficiency

Abstract

Provided are isolated polynucleotides encoding a polypeptide at least 80% homologous to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 757, 456-756, 758-774, 8385-10836, and 10838-14462; and isolated polynucleotide comprising nucleic acid sequences at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 377, 1-376, 378-455, and 775-8384. Also provided are nucleic acid constructs comprising same, isolated polypeptides encoded thereby, transgenic cells and transgenic plants comprising same and methods of using same for increasing yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency, and/or reducing time to flowering or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant, comprising over-expressing within the plant a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 80% identity with respect to SEQ ID NO: 757, 456-599, 601-756, 758-774, 8385-8643, 8645-9639, 9758-10650, 10652-10836, 10838-12575, 12577, 12579-12583, 12585, 12586, 12590, 12591, 12593-12615, 12617-12624, 12628-12637, 12639-12659, 12662-12666, 12668-12677, 12679-12681, 12683-12695, 12697-12705, 12707-12709, 12711-12717, 12719-12727, 12729-12755, 12757-12811, 12813, 12815-12817, 12819-12825, 12827-12840, 12847-12848, 12850, 12853, 12855-12859, 12861-12884, 12886, 12887, 12893, 12895, 12896, 12898-12902, 12904-12912, 12916-12926, 12930-12937, 12940-12942, 12945-12954, 12956-12962, 12965-12967, 12969-12977, 12979-12984, 12986-12992, 12994, 12999-13001, 13003, 13006-13010, 13012-13016, 13018-13019, 13021-13029, 13031-13049, 13051-13054, 13056-13063, 13065-13066, 13068-13070, 13073-13076, 13079-13084, 13086-14461 or 14462 as compared to a native plant of the same species under the same growth conditions, thereby increasing the yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency, and/or reducing the time to flowering or the time to inflorescence emergence of the plant. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 757, 456-599, 601-756, 758-774, 8385-8643, 8645-9639, 9758-10650, 10652-10836, 10838-12575, 12577, 12579-12583, 12585, 12586, 12590, 12591, 12593-12615, 12617-12624, 12628-12637, 12639-12659, 12662-12666, 12668-12677, 12679-12681, 12683-12695, 12697-12705, 12707-12709, 12711-12717, 12719-12727, 12729-12755, 12757-12811, 12813, 12815-12817, 12819-12825, 12827-12840, 12847-12848, 12850, 12853, 12855-12859, 12861-12884, 12886, 12887, 12893, 12895, 12896, 12898-12902, 12904-12912, 12916-12926, 12930-12937, 12940-12942, 12945-12954, 12956-12962, 12965-12967, 12969-12977, 12979-12984, 12986-12992, 12994, 12999-13001, 13003, 13006-13010, 13012-13016, 13018-13019, 13021-13029, 13031-13049, 13051-13054, 13056-13063, 13065-13066, 13068-13070, 13073-13076, 13079-13084, 13086-14461 or 14462. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 757, 456-599, 601-756, 758-774, 8385-9639,9758-10836, 10838-14461 and 14462. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 377, 1-144, 146-376, 378-398, 400-455, 775-2391, 2882-6485, 6487-6657, 6660-6664, 6666-6701, 6703-6745, 6748-6818, 6820-6821, 6824-6827, 6829-6881, 6883, 6885-8383 or 8384. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from an exogenous polynucleotide comprising the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 377, 1-144, 146-376, 378-398, 400-455, 775-2391, 2882-8383 or 8384. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, drought, water deprivation, flood, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the yield comprises seed yield or oil yield. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under nitrogen-limiting conditions. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant over-expressing said polypeptide for an increased yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency as compared to native plant of the same species under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant over-expressing said polypeptide for a decreased time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant as compared to native plant of the same species under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 (a) measuring a vegetative growth and/or a time to flowering or to inflorescence emergence of said plant over-expressing said polypeptide,   (b) selecting plants over-expressing said polypeptide for an increased vegetative growth and/or for a decreased time to flowering or time to inflorescence emergence as compared to said vegetative growth and/or said time to flowering or time to inflorescence emergence of a native plant of the same species under the same growth conditions, and;   (c) isolating a regenerable portion of said plants selected according to step (b) having said increased vegetative growth and/or said decreased time to flowering or time to inflorescence emergence as compared to said native plant under the same growth conditions so as to obtain an isolated regenerable portion of said selected plants; and   (d) regenerating plants from said isolated regenerable portion of said selected plants, wherein plants without the said increased vegetative growth and/or said decreased time to flowering or time to inflorescence emergence are not isolated and not regenerated.   
     
     
         13 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 757, 456-599, 601-756, 758-774, 8385-8643, 8645-9639, 9758-10650, 10652-10836, 10838-12575, 12577, 12579-12583, 12585, 12586, 12590, 12591, 12593-12615, 12617-12624, 12628-12637, 12639-12659, 12662-12666, 12668-12677, 12679-12681, 12683-12695, 12697-12705, 12707-12709, 12711-12717, 12719-12727, 12729-12755, 12757-12811, 12813, 12815-12817, 12819-12825, 12827-12840, 12847-12848, 12850, 12853, 12855-12859, 12861-12884, 12886, 12887, 12893, 12895, 12896, 12898-12902, 12904-12912, 12916-12926, 12930-12937, 12940-12942, 12945-12954, 12956-12962, 12965-12967, 12969-12977, 12979-12984, 12986-12992, 12994, 12999-13001, 13003, 13006-13010, 13012-13016, 13018-13019, 13021-13029, 13031-13049, 13051-13054, 13056-13063, 13065-13066, 13068-13070, 13073-13076, 13079-13084, 13086-14461 or 14462, and a heterologous promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency, and/or reducing time to flowering or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant. 
     
     
         14 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 757.456-599, 601-756, 758-774, 8385-9639, 9758-10836, 10838-14461 or 14462. 
     
     
         15 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 377, 1-144, 146-376, 378-398, 400-455, 775-2391, 2882-6485, 6487-6657, 6660-6664, 6666-6701, 6703-6745, 6748-6818, 6820-6821, 6824-6827, 6829-6881, 6883, 6885-8383, or 8384. 
     
     
         16 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 377, 1-144, 146-376, 378-398, 400-455, 775-2391, 2882-8383 or 8384. 
     
     
         17 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 . 
     
     
         18 . The plant cell of  claim 17 , wherein said plant cell forms part of a plant. 
     
     
         19 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 . 
     
     
         20 . A method of generating a transgenic plant, comprising expressing the nucleic acid construct of  claim 13  within the plant, thereby generating the transgenic plant.