Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and methods of using same for increasing plant yield, biomass, oil content and/or growth rate

Abstract

Provided are isolated polynucleotides which comprise a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which exhibits at least 94% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 333, and nucleic acid constructs, plants and methods of using same for increasing a yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, 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 to inflorescence emergence of a plant, comprising over-expressing within the plant a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence which exhibits at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, 3675-3736 or 3737, 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 time to flowering or to inflorescence emergence of the plant. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide exhibits at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, 3675-3736 or 3737. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide exhibits at least 99% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, 3675-3736 or 3737. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, and 3675-3737. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, drought, water deprivation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said plant expressing said exogenous polynucleotide for an increased yield, biomass, growth rate, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, or nitrogen use efficiency as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said plant expressing said exogenous polynucleotide for a reduced time to flowering and/or to inflorescence emergence as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said selecting is performed under non-stress conditions. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said selecting is performed under abiotic stress conditions. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant under the nitrogen-limiting conditions. 
     
     
         12 . A method of producing a crop comprising growing a crop plant over-expressing a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, 3675-3736 and 3737, wherein the crop plant is derived from plants over-expressing said polypeptide which have been selected for increased yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency, and/or reduced time to flowering or to inflorescence emergence as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, and the crop plant having the increased yield, the increased biomass, the increased growth rate, the increased vigor, the increased oil content, the increased fiber yield, the increased fiber quality, the increased abiotic stress tolerance, the increased nitrogen use efficiency, the reduced time to flowering and/or the reduced time to inflorescence emergence thereby producing the crop. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, and 3675-3737. 
     
     
         14 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence exhibiting at least 80% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, 3675-3736 or 3737 operably linked to a heterologous plant promoter, wherein said nucleic 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 to inflorescence emergence of a plant. 
     
     
         15 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, and 3675-3737. 
     
     
         16 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence encoding said polypeptide exhibits at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1-6, 8-24, 26-95, 97-239, 467-1973, 3481-3486, 3488-3504, 3506-3573, 3575-3674, 3738 or 3739. 
     
     
         17 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-6, 8-24, 26-95, 97-239, 467-1973, 3481-3486, 3488-3504, 3506-3573, 3575-3674, and 3738-3739. 
     
     
         18 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         19 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         20 . A method of producing seeds of a crop, comprising:
 (a) selecting a parent plant being transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , said parent plant exhibits an increased trait selected from the group consisting of: increased yield, increased biomass, increased growth rate, increased oil content, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased nitrogen use efficiency, reduced time to flowering and reduced time to inflorescence emergence as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, and;   (b) growing a seed-producing plant from said parent plant resultant of step (a), wherein said seed-producing plant which comprises said exogenous polynucleotide has said increased trait, and;   (c) producing seeds from said seed-producing plant resultant of step (b), thereby producing seeds of the crop.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 240-245, 247-263, 265-332, 334-465, 1974-3480, 3675-3736 and 3737.