Plants and methods for high density plant production

Abstract

Provided are methods for growing a plant under certain stressed conditions that alter the morphology of the plant. In certain aspects, however, although the plant is altered and may be undesirable for commercial purposed, the plant still produces an adequate number of seeds for breeding purposes. Further, because plants may be smaller in size, they can be grown at higher densities, allowing the production of large populations of plants to be brought under controlled conditions which can exclude pollinating insects and thus increase the genetic purity achievable in a breeding program.

1 - 56 . (canceled) 
     
     
         57 . A population of cotton plants with an altered morphology,
 wherein the population is in a controlled environment,   wherein the average density of the cotton plants in the population is at least 10 plants per square meter and the plants at the density are in an average volume of growth media of less than about 1,000 mL per plant, and   wherein at least about 70% of the individual cotton plants in the population are between about 12 inches and 24 inches tall and have at least one boll that contains at least 20 seeds.   
     
     
         58 . The population of  claim 57 , where the average density of the plants in the population is at least 30 plants per square meter. 
     
     
         59 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein the plants are at the density in an average volume of growth media of less than about 500 mL per plant. 
     
     
         60 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein at least about 80% of the individual cotton plants in the population are between about 12 inches and 24 inches tall and have at least one boll that contains at least 20 seeds. 
     
     
         61 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein at least about 70% of the individual cotton plants in the population are between about 12 inches and 18 inches tall and have at least one boll that contains at least 20 seeds. 
     
     
         62 . The population of  claim 61 , wherein at least about 80% of the individual cotton plants in the population are between about 12 inches and 18 inches tall and have at least one boll that contains at least 20 seeds. 
     
     
         63 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein the population comprises at least about 1,000 cotton plants. 
     
     
         64 . The population of  claim 63 , wherein the population comprises at least about 10,000 cotton plants. 
     
     
         65 . The population of  claim 64 , wherein the population comprises at least about 100,000 cotton plants. 
     
     
         66 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein the controlled environment is substantially free of pollinating insects. 
     
     
         67 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein the population of plants is grown at a temperature of at least about 36° C. for at least about 2 hours per day, for at least 50 days during the time from the average day of germination of the cotton seeds of the population to the average day that the plants produce at least one cotton boll that contains a seed. 
     
     
         68 . The population of  claim 67 , wherein the population of plants are grown at a temperature of at least about 37° C. for at least about 2 hours per day, for at least 50 days during the time from the average day of germination of the cotton seeds of the population to the average day that the plants produce at least one cotton boll that contains a seed. 
     
     
         69 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein the population of plants is grown while providing less than about 400 mL of water per day on average, for at least 50 days during the time from the average day of germination of the cotton seeds of the population to the average day that the plants produce at least one cotton boll that contains a seed. 
     
     
         70 . The population of  claim 69 , wherein the population of plants are grown while providing less than about 300 mL of water per day on average, for at least 50 days during the time from the average day of germination of the cotton seeds of the population to the average day that the plants produce at least one cotton boll that contains a seed. 
     
     
         71 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein the population of plants is grown at a temperature of at least about 36° C. for at least about 2 hours per day, for at least 50 days during the time from the average day of germination of the cotton seeds of the population to the average day that the plants produce at least one cotton boll that contains a seed and growing the cotton plants while providing less than about 400 mL of water per day on average, for at least 50 days during the time from the average day of germination of the cotton seeds of the population to the average day that the plants produce at least one cotton boll that contains a seed. 
     
     
         72 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein at least about 80% of the individual cotton plants in the population are between about 12 inches and 24 inches tall and have at least one boll that contains at least 20 seeds. 
     
     
         73 . The population of  claim 57 , wherein a plant growth regulator selected from the group consisting of chlormequat-CL, mepiquat-CL, AMO-1618, clorphonium-Cl, tetcylacis, ancymidol, flurprimidol, paclobutrazol, uniconazole-P, inabenfide, prohexadione-CA, trinexapac-ethyl, daminozide, exo-16,17-, dihydro-GA5-13-acetate, systemin, phytosulfokine, and rapid alkalinization factor is applied to the population of plants. 
     
     
         74 . The population of  claim 73 , wherein the plant growth regulator is mepiquat-CL. 
     
     
         75 . The population of  claim 73 , wherein about 0.5 mL of the plant growth regulator is applied per plant. 
     
     
         76 . The population of  claim 73 , wherein the plant growth regulator is applied about 20 days after planting.