Plant tolerance to low water, low nitrogen and cold ii

Abstract

Polynucleotides incorporated into nucleic acid constructs have been introduced into plants and were ectopically expressed. The encoded polypeptides of the invention have been shown to confer at least one regulatory activity and confer earlier flowering, longer floral organ retention, increased cold tolerance, greater tolerance to water deprivation, altered carbon-nitrogen balance sensing, increased low nitrogen tolerance, and/or increased tolerance to hyperosmotic stress as compared to a control plant.

1 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A transgenic plant having earlier flowering, longer floral organ retention, greater tolerance to low nitrogen conditions, altered carbon-nitrogen balance sensing, greater tolerance to cold, greater tolerance to water deficit conditions, greater tolerance to sucrose, or greater tolerance to hyperosmotic stress as compared to a control plant, wherein the transgenic plant comprises a nucleic acid construct comprising a recombinant nucleic acid sequence comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide comprises a MADS DNA binding domain, a nuclear localization domain, a K protein interaction domain, and C-terminal activation domain,
 wherein when the polypeptide is expressed in the transgenic plant, the polypeptide regulates transcription and confers at least one regulatory activity resulting in altered trait in the plant as compared to a control plant;   wherein the altered trait is selected from the group consisting of earlier flowering, longer floral organ retention, increased tolerance to low nitrogen conditions, altered carbon-nitrogen balance sensing, increased tolerance to cold, increased tolerance to water deficit conditions, increased tolerance to sucrose, and increased tolerance to hyperosmotic stress; and   wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that has at least 60% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEO ID NO:37, SEO ID NO:40, or SEO ID NO:45, or wherein the MADS DNA binding domain comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 60% sequence identity to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEO ID NOs:33-48.   
     
     
         8 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the transformed plant is a monocot. 
     
     
         11 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the transformed plant is a corn plant. 
     
     
         12 . A seed of the transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the seed comprise the nucleic acid construct. 
     
     
         13 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that has at least 60% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:37. 
     
     
         21 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that has at least 60% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:40. 
     
     
         22 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that has at least 60% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:45. 
     
     
         23 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the MADS DNA binding domain comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 60% sequence identity to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:33-48. 
     
     
         24 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the transgenic plant has greater tolerance to cold as compared to the control plant. 
     
     
         25 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the transgenic plant has increased tolerance to low N conditions as compared to the control plant. 
     
     
         26 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the transgenic plant has longer floral organ retention as compared to the control plant. 
     
     
         27 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the transgenic plant has altered carbon nitrogen balance sensing as compared to the control plant.