Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and methods of using same for increasing plant yield and/or agricultural characteristics

Abstract

Provided are isolated polynucleotides, polypeptides encoded thereby, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, plant cells and plants comprising same and methods of generating plants with increased yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency, wherein the polynucleotides encode polypeptides at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 574-930, 6266-10549 or 10550, such as the polynucleotides set forth in SEQ ID NOs:1-573, and 931-6265.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, abiotic stress, and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant, comprising over-expressing within the plant a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753, or a homologous polypeptide at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 753, thereby increasing the yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, abiotic stress, and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence of the plant. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 753 and has conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 753, 849, 8694, 9434, 9435, and 9436. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 502, 180, 302, 4162, 4991, 4992 or 4993. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said exogenous polynucleotide comprises the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 502, 180, 302, 4162, 4991, 4992 and 4993. 
     
     
         7 . A method of producing a crop, comprising growing a crop plant transformed with an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753, or a homologous polypeptide at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 753, wherein the crop plant is derived from plants selected for increased yield, increased growth rate, increased biomass, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased seed yield, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and/or increased abiotic stress tolerance as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, and the crop plant has the increased yield, increased growth rate, increased biomass, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased seed yield, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased abiotic stress tolerance, reduced time to flowering and/or reduced time to inflorescence emergence, thereby producing the crop. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said homologous polypeptide is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 753 and has conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 753, 849, 8694, 9434, 9435, and 9436. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is at least 95% identical to the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 502, 180, 302, 4162, 4991, 4992 and 4993. 
     
     
         12 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753, or a homologous polypeptide at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 753, and a promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein said promoter is heterologous to said nucleic acid sequence, and wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, abiotic stress, and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant. 
     
     
         13 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 12 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 753. 
     
     
         14 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 12 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 753, 849, 8694, 9434, 9435 and 9436. 
     
     
         15 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 12 , wherein said isolated polynucleotide comprises a nucleic acid sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 502, 180, 302, 4162, 4991, 4992 or 4993. 
     
     
         16 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 12 , wherein said isolated polynucleotide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 502, 180, 302, 4162, 4991, 4992 and 4993. 
     
     
         17 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         18 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of a  claim 12 . 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, drought, osmotic stress, water deprivation, flood, etiolation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under nitrogen-limiting conditions. 
     
     
         22 . A method of growing a crop, the method comprising seeding seeds and/or planting plantlets of a plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 12 , wherein the plant is derived from plants selected for at least one trait selected from the group consisting of: increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased biomass, increased growth rate, increased vigor, increased yield and increased fiber yield or quality, increased oil content, reduced time to flowering and reduced time to inflorescence emergence as compared to a non-transformed plant, thereby growing the crop.