Abstract: Provided are novel methods for the production of nucleic acid libraries having reduced redundancy. Also provided are methods for determination of changes in RNA expression associated with pathological conditions, and physiological or developmental state. Additional aspects provided non-redundant tags or probes produced by the disclosed methods and microarrays incorporating such tags.

Abstract: The invention provides novel transgenic plants which express trehalose biosynthetic genes, e.g., under control of an inducible promoter, which are developmentally normal, together with methods for improving stress tolerance in said plants, methods of improving food quality, and other methods of making and using the plants of the invention. The invention also provides nucleotide sequences encoded novel trehalose biosynthetic enzymes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of primers in polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection of fungal pathogens Colletotrichum acutatum, Alternaria spp., and Cladosporium carpophilum. Specific primers are identified as being useful for the identification of fungal isolates using PCR based techniques. Also described are novel extraction buffer solutions for use in isolating DNA from an organism, methods of extracting DNA from tissue, and methods of performing PCR analysis on DNA extracted from tissue.

Abstract: Homologues of the Arabidopsis NIM1 gene, which is involved in the signal transduction cascade leading to systemic acquired resistance (SAR), are isolated from Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco), Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), Brassica napus (oilseed rape), Arabidopsis thaliana, Beta vulgaris (sugarbeet), Helianthus annuus (sunflower), and Solanum tuberosum (potato). The invention further concerns transformation vectors and processes for expressing the NIM1 homologues in transgenic plants to increase SAR gene expression and enhance broad spectrum disease resistance.

Abstract: Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) DNA sequences from the ribosomal RNA gene region are described for different strains of the wheat fungal pathogen, Rhizoctonia cerealis. Specific primers from within these sequences are identified as being useful for the identification of Rhizoctonia cerealis using PCR-based techniques.

Abstract: Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) DNA sequences from the ribosomal RNA gene region are described for species and strains of wheat fungal pathogens, including Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and Pyrenophora teres. Specific primers from within these sequences are identified as being useful for the identification of the fungal isolates using PCR-based techniques.