Isolated polynucleotides, polypeptides and methods of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance, biomass and yield of plants

Abstract

Provided are isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NOs: 552-897 and 6029-10629, isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 1-551 and 898-6028, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells expressing same, transgenic plants expressing same and method of using same for increasing yield, abiotic stress tolerance, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, nitrogen use efficiency, and/or abiotic stress tolerance of a plant and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant, the method comprising:
 (a) transforming a cell of the plant with a nucleic acid construct comprising a polynucleotide which comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 873, and a promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in said plant cell, wherein said promoter is heterologous to said polynucleotide, and   (b) generating plants from said plant cell,   thereby increasing the yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, nitrogen use efficiency, and/or abiotic stress tolerance of the plant and/or reducing the time to flowering and/or the time to inflorescence emergence of the plant.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 873, 740, and 9423-9426. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 488 or 189. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant transformed with said nucleic acid construct for a reduced time to flowering and/or for a reduced time to inflorescence emergence as compared to a non-transformed plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant transformed with said nucleic acid construct for an increased yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, nitrogen use efficiency, and/or abiotic stress tolerance as compared to a non-transformed plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said selecting is performed under non-stress conditions. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said selecting is performed under abiotic stress conditions. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant transformed with said nucleic acid construct under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of drought, salinity, osmotic stress, water deprivation, flood, etiolation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nitrogen deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant transformed with said nucleic acid construct under nitrogen-limiting conditions. 
     
     
         11 . A method of producing a crop, the method comprising growing a crop plant transformed with a nucleic acid construct comprising a polynucleotide which comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NOs: 873, and a promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in said plant cell, wherein said promoter is heterologous to said polynucleotide, wherein the crop plant is derived from plants which comprise said nucleic acid construct and which have been selected for a reduced time to flowering, a reduced time to inflorescence emergence, an increased yield, an increased growth rate, an increased biomass, an increased vigor, an increased oil content, an increased seed yield, an increased fiber yield, an increased fiber quality, an increased fiber length, an increased photosynthetic capacity, an increased nitrogen use efficiency, and/or an increased abiotic stress tolerance as compared to a non-transformed plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, and the crop plant has the reduced time to flowering, the reduced time to inflorescence emergence, the increased yield, the increased growth rate, the increased biomass, the increased vigor, the increased oil content, the increased seed yield, the increased fiber yield, the increased fiber quality, the increased fiber length, the increased photosynthetic capacity, the increased nitrogen use efficiency, and/or the increased abiotic stress tolerance, thereby producing the crop. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 873, 740, and 9423-9426. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 488, 189 and 4638-4641. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the crop plant is derived from plants which comprise said nucleic acid construct and which have been selected for said reduced time to flowering and/or for said reduced time to inflorescence emergence as compared to said non-transformed plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, and the crop plant having said reduced time to flowering and/or said reduced time to inflorescence emergence. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said plants which comprise said nucleic acid construct have been selected for said reduced time to flowering and/or for said reduced time to inflorescence emergence under non-stress conditions. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said plants which comprise said nucleic acid construct have been selected for said reduced time to flowering and/or for said reduced time to inflorescence emergence under abiotic stress conditions. 
     
     
         17 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 873 and a promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein said promoter is heterologous to said isolated polynucleotide, wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, nitrogen use efficiency, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant. 
     
     
         18 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 17 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 873, 740, and 9423-9426. 
     
     
         19 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 17 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 488, 189 and 4638-4641. 
     
     
         20 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 17 . 
     
     
         21 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 17 . 
     
     
         22 . A method of growing a crop, the method comprising seeding seeds and/or planting plantlets of a plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 17 , wherein the plant is derived from plants which have been transformed with said nucleic acid construct and which have been selected for at least one trait selected from the group consisting of: reduced time to flowering, reduced time to inflorescence emergence, increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased biomass, increased growth rate, increased vigor, increased yield, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased fiber length, increased photosynthetic capacity, and increased oil content as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, and wherein said seeds and/or said plantlets comprise said nucleic acid construct, thereby growing the crop.