Polynucleotides, polypeptides encoded thereby, and methods of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance and/or biomass and/or yield in plants expressing same

Abstract

Provided are methods of increasing tolerance of a plant to abiotic stress, and/or increasing biomass, growth rate, vigor and/or yield of a plant. The methods are effected by expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 90% homologous to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:201, 207, 212, 202-206, 208-211, 213-391, 1655, 961-1529, and 1660-1663. Also provided are polynucleotides, nucleic acid constructs, polypeptides and transgenic plants expressing same which can be used to increase tolerance of a plant to abiotic stress, and/or increase biomass, growth rate, vigor and/or yield of a plant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency and/or reducing time to flowering of a plant as compared to a control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, comprising over-expressing within the plant, as compared to said control plant, a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655 or a homologous polypeptide exhibiting at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655, thereby increasing the abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency and/or reducing time to flowering of the plant as compared to the control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide has identical amino acids in protein domain(s) of SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide exhibits at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide exhibits at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 and 1655. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 2-80, 82-83, 86-200, 392-446, 448-736, 738-739, 741-746, 748-960, 1532-1534, 1536-1537, 1539-1545, 1547-1558, 1560-1566, 1653-1654, 1656-1659, and 1665-1669. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant overexpressing said polypeptide for an increased abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency as compared to a control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant overexpressing said polypeptide for a reduced time to flowering as compared to a control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         9 . A method of producing a crop, comprising growing a crop plant over-expressing, as compared to a control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655, or a homologous polypeptide exhibiting at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655, wherein said crop plant is derived from parent plants selected for increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased yield, increased biomass, increased growth rate, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and/or reduced time to flowering as compared to said control plant, and said crop plant over-expresses said polypeptide and has said increased abiotic stress tolerance, said increased yield, said increased biomass, said increased growth rate, said increased vigor, said increased oil content, said increased fiber yield, said increased fiber quality, said increased nitrogen use efficiency and/or said reduced time to flowering, thereby producing the crop. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said homologous polypeptide has identical amino acids in protein domain(s) of SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said homologous polypeptide exhibits at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said homologous polypeptide exhibits at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 and 1655. 
     
     
         14 . A nucleic acid construct comprising a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide, said polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655, or a homologous polypeptide exhibiting at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655, and a heterologous promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a plant cell. 
     
     
         15 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , wherein said homologous polypeptide has identical amino acids in protein domain(s) of SEQ ID NO: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 or 1655. 
     
     
         16 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 202-218, 220-270, 272-273, 276-391, 961-1015, 1017-1305, 1307-1308, 1310-1315, 1317-1529, 1660-1663 and 1655. 
     
     
         17 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 2-80, 82-83, 86-200, 392-446, 448-736, 738-739, 741-746, 748-960, 1532-1534, 1536-1537, 1539-1545, 1547-1558, 1560-1566, 1653-1654, 1656-1659, and 1665-1669. 
     
     
         18 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         19 . A plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         20 . A method of selecting a plant having increased abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency and/or reduced time to flowering as compared to a control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, the method comprising:
 (a) providing plants transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 14 , and;   (b) selecting from said plants a plant having increased abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency and/or reduced time to flowering as compared to a control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions,   thereby selecting the plant having increased abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency and/or reduced time to flowering as compared to the control plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 (c) growing a crop of said plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said growing comprises seeding seeds and/or planting plantlets of said plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct.