Polynucleotides and methods for improving plants

Abstract

The invention provides methods and compositions for producing plant with altered biomass, the methods comprising the step of altering the expression and/or activity of the polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, or a variant thereof, in a plant cell or plant. The invention also provides a polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, and fragments of variants thereof the sequence. The invention also provides polynucleotides encoding such polypeptide sequences. The invention also provides constructs, cells and plants comprising such polynucleotides.

1 . A method of producing a plant with increased biomass the method comprising the step of reducing the expression, in a plant cell or plant, of a polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 20, wherein the reducing of expression leads to the increased biomass. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the expression is reduced by transforming a plant cell, or plant, with a polynucleotide that is complementary to an endogenous gene encoding the polypeptide, such that expression of the polynucleotide results in reduced expression of the polypeptide and leads to the increased biomass. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the plant cell or plant is transformed with at least one of:
 a) a polynucleotide including a sequence encoding of a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:20;   b) a polynucleotide comprising a fragment, of at least 15 nucleotides in length, of the polynucleotide of a); and   c) a polynucleotide comprising a complement, of at least 15 nucleotides in length, of the polynucleotide of a);   
       wherein the expression of the polynucleotide in the plant cell or plant results in reduced expression of the polypeptide and leads to the increased biomass. 
     
     
         4 . A plant produced by the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         5 . A plant produced by the method of  claim 1 , wherein the expression of an endogenous polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:20 is down-regulated in the plant relative to a non-transformed control plant, and wherein the plant has increased biomass relative to a non-transformed control plant. 
     
     
         6 . The plant of  claim 5  that has an increased number of tillers relative to a non-transformed control plant. 
     
     
         7 . A method for selecting a plant with altered biomass, the method comprising testing of a plant for reduced expression of a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:20, wherein the reduced expression is indicative of increased biomass.