Methods for large scale functional evaluation of nucleotide sequences in plants

Abstract

The present invention provides for rapid and large scale evaluation of expression of, or function of, nucleotide sequences in plants. The invention comprises three specific components which provide for fast and large scale evaluation of nucleotide sequences. The first component includes delivery in either a single event a library of different engineered vectors or a single engineered vector for a single target nucleotide sequence comprising sequences the function of which is desired to be known in plant cells. Surprisingly, applicants have discovered that, the introduction of multiple vectors to plant cells predominantly results in individual transgenic plants which contain only a single transformation event. The second feature of the invention involves a highly transformable, fast cycling and/or miniature size plant and the final step involves mass scale analysis of T0 plants for various phenotypes and plasmid rescue to identify the nucleotide sequence present in a particular phenotype.

1 .- 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A method of selecting plants having a phenotype of interest comprising:
 growing a population of plants grown under greenhouse conditions;   obtaining phenotypic characteristics of the population of plants;   identifying plants having a phenotype of interest; and   selecting plants with said phenotype of interest.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the plants are grown in pots. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising comparing at least one phenotypic characteristic of plants in the population to one another to identify phenotypic differences among the plants. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the compared phenotypic characteristic is at least one selected from the group consisting of: stalk strength, fertility/sterility, herbicide resistance, height, seed set, maturity, leaf necrosis, leaf senescence, and tassel branch number. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the plants are transgenic plants. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the plants are maize, soybean, sunflower, sorghum, canola, wheat, alfalfa, cotton, rice, barley, or millet plants. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the corn plants are derived from the variety Gaspe. 
     
     
         30 . A method of selecting transgenic plants having a phenotype of interest comprising:
 growing a population of transgenic plants grown under greenhouse conditions;   obtaining phenotypic characteristics of the population of transgenic plants;   comparing at least one phenotypic characteristic of transgenic plants in the population to one another to identify phenotypic differences among the plants;   identifying transgenic plants having a phenotype of interest; and   selecting transgenic plants with said phenotype of interest.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the plants are maize, soybean, sunflower, sorghum, canola, wheat, alfalfa, cotton, rice, barley, or millet plants. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the corn plants are derived from the variety Gaspe. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the compared phenotypic characteristic is at least one selected from the group consisting of: stalk strength, fertility/sterility, herbicide resistance, height, seed set, maturity, leaf necrosis, leaf senescence, and tassel branch number.