Inhibition of bolting and flowering of a beta vulgaris plant

Abstract

The present invention provides means for inhibiting the bolting and flowering of a Beta vulgaris plant, including an isolated nucleic acid, which can be used to produce a transgenic Beta vulgaris plant, where bolting and flowering is inhibited after vernalization. Furthermore, the invention discloses vectors, transgenic and non-transgenic, non-bolting plants and parts thereof, and methods for producing such plants.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method for producing a  Beta vulgaris  plant, where the bolting and flowering is inhibited after vernalization, comprising the following steps:
 (I) mutagenizing one or more parts of a  Beta vulgaris  plant and subsequently regenerating one or more  Beta vulgaris  plants from one or more parts to yield a regenerated plant, or mutagenizing on or more  Beta vulgaris  plants to yield a mutagenized plant;   (II) identifying a regenerated or mutagenized plant of (I) that exhibits one or more mutations in an endogenous DNA sequence;   (III) generating a  Beta vulgaris  plant in which the one or more mutations in the endogenous DNA sequence is homozygous;   
       wherein the endogenous DNA sequence has a nucleic acid sequence identical to a sequence that
 A) exhibits a sequence comprising the coding sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, 
 B) comprises a nucleotide sequence exhibiting at least 98% sequence identity to the coding sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4; 
 C) is complementary to SEQ ID NO: 4; or 
 D) encodes a protein comprising an amino acid sequence exhibiting at least 98% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 6. 
 
     
     
         17 . A  Beta vulgaris  plant, produced by the method of  claim 16 . 
     
     
         18 . A  Beta vulgaris  plant, wherein bolting and flowering is inhibited after vernalization, wherein the plant comprises one or more mutations in an endogenous DNA sequence comprising a nucleic acid sequence identical to a sequence that
 a) comprises a sequence comprising the coding sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4,   b) comprises a nucleotide sequence exhibiting at least 98% sequence identity to the coding sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4,   c) is complementary to SEQ ID NO: 4, or   d) encodes a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SED ID NO: 6 or encodes a protein comprising an amino acid sequence exhibiting at least 98% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 6,   
       wherein the one or more mutations cause a reduction of the activity or stability of the protein or polypeptide encoded by the endogenous DNA sequence compared to a non-mutagenized wild type plant.