Abstract: A method involving administering to a phloem sap-feeding insect one or more dsRNAs capable of suppressing activity of one or more RNAi-suppressing nuclease genes expressed in the gut of the insect and one or more dsRNAs capable of suppressing one or more osmoregulatory genes expressed by the insect.

Abstract: A method involving administering to a phloem sap-feeding insect one or more dsRNAs capable of suppressing activity of one or more RNAi-suppressing nuclease genes expressed in the gut of the insect and one or more dsRNAs capable of suppressing one or more osmoregulatory genes expressed by the insect.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a nucleic acid construct having a nucleic acid molecule configured to silence ?-carotene hydroxylase expression, and host cells, expression systems, plants, and plant seeds having the nucleic acid construct. The present invention also relates to a method of enhancing beta-carotene content by growing a transgenic plant from a plant or seed transformed with the construct.

Abstract: The cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) Or gene is a semi-dominant, single-locus mutation. It induces the accumulation of high levels of beta-carotene in various tissues that are normally devoid of carotenoids, turning them orange. Using a map-based cloning strategy, we identified a single gene representing Or and successfully verified its identity by functional complementation in the wild type cauliflower. The Or gene encodes a plastid membrane protein containing the DnaJ zinc figure domain. A likely gain-of-function mutation from a 4.3-kb retrotransposon insertion in the Or allele confers the orange phenotype in the mutant. Southern blot analysis revealed that Or is a single-copy sequence in the cauliflower genome. High level of expression of the Or gene and the protein was found in very young leaves, curds, and flowers at comparable abundance between wild type and the Or mutant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a nucleic acid construct having a nucleic acid molecule configured to silence ?-carotene hydroxylase expression, and host cells, expression systems, plants, and plant seeds having the nucleic acid construct. The present invention also relates to a method of enhancing beta-carotene content by growing a transgenic plant from a plant or seed transformed with the construct.

Abstract: The cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) Or gene is a semi-dominant, single-locus mutation. It induces the accumulation of high levels of beta-carotene in various tissues that are normally devoid of carotenoids, turning them orange. Using a map-based cloning strategy, we identified a single gene representing Or and successfully verified its identity by functional complementation in the wild type cauliflower. The Or gene encodes a plastid membrane protein containing the DnaJ zinc figure domain. A likely gain-of-function mutation from a 4.3-kb retrotransposon insertion in the Or allele confers the orange phenotype in the mutant. Southern blot analysis revealed that Or is a single-copy sequence in the cauliflower genome. High level of expression of the Or gene and the protein was found in very young leaves, curds, and flowers at comparable abundance between wild type and the Or mutant.

Abstract: Since its introduction into North America over 170 years ago, the poinsettia has become a major ornamental potted plant, and is an important component of the U.S. floral industry. Susceptibility to insect pests and diseases caused by pathogens remains a problem for poinsettia production, even under greenhouse conditions. While chemical treatment can control certain insect pests and disease pathogens, such treatment can also have an adverse effect upon poinsettias. The methods described herein provide a means to genetically engineer transgenic poinsettia that express macromolecules capable of protecting the plant against the insects and pathogens. The production of transgenic plants can also be used to enhance the commercial value of poinsettia by controlling characteristics such as flower color.

Abstract: Method of initiating, proliferating, and regenerating embryogenic callus from immature inflorescence explants of St. Augustinegrass, and method of transforming and regenerating the embryogenic callus to produce transgenic St. Augustinegrass. The invention also encompasses St. Augustinegrass callus and adult plants produced by the method.

Abstract: Since its introduction into North America over 170 years ago, the poinsettia has become a major ornamental potted plant, and is an important component of the U.S. floral industry. Susceptibility to insect pests and diseases caused by pathogens remains a problem for poinsettia production, even under greenhouse conditions. While chemical treatment can control certain insect pests and disease pathogens, such treatment can also have an adverse effect upon poinsettias. The methods described herein provide a means to genetically engineer transgenic poinsettia that express macromolecules capable of protecting the plant against the insects and pathogens. The production of transgenic plants can also be used to enhance the commercial value of poinsettia by controlling characteristics such as flower color.

Abstract: Method of initiating, proliferating, and regenerating embryogenic callus from immature inflorescence explants of St. Augustinegrass, and method of transforming and regenerating the embryogenic callus to produce transgenic St. Augustinegrass. The invention also encompasses St. Augustinegrass callus and adult plants produced by the method.

Abstract: The invention provides antimicrobial peptides, nucleic acid constructs encoding them, methods for transforming plant cells, and transgenic plant tissue that expresses the antimicrobial peptide genes and thereby exhibit improved resistance to plant pathogens.