Stay Green Cucumber Plant

Abstract

Provided herein is a Cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus) which provides fruits having an improved shelf life, wherein said plant comprises a stay green gene providing the improved fruit shelf life, wherein said stay green gene encodes a protein comprising the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID No. 2, or amino acid sequences with more than 90% identity, preferably more than 94% identity, more preferably more than 96% identity, even more preferably more than 98% identity; and wherein the expression of said stay green gene is reduced as compared to the expression of said stay green gene in a cucumber plant not providing fruits having an improved shelf life or the enzymatic activity of said protein is reduced as compared to the enzymatic activity of said protein in a cucumber plant not providing fruits having an improved shelf life.

1 . A method for obtaining a cucumber plant having improved shelf life comprising introducing a modification to a gene encoding a protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 in a cucumber plant, wherein the modification results in a decrease of function, loss of function, reduced expression, or absence of the protein. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises introducing a nucleic acid having the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 into a cucumber plant. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the modification causes a decrease in function of a protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises introducing a mutation in the coding sequence of the gene resulting in one or more amino acid substitutions in SEQ ID NO: 2. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the amino acid substitution comprises a subs don of a leucine at position 153 of SEQ ID NO. 2. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modified gene encodes a protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4. 
     
     
         7 . A cDNA transcribed from a nucleotide sequence having the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises introducing a mutation in the coding sequence of the gene resulting in one or more frame shifts. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises introducing a mutation in the coding sequence of the gene resulting in a pre-mature stop codon. 
     
     
         10 . A cucumber plant produced from the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . A seed, fruit, plant part, or propagation material of the cucumber plant of  claim 10 .