Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing trehalose in plant cells capable of producing trehalase by growing plant cells having the genetic information required for the production of trehalose and trehalase, or cultivating a plant or a part thereof comprising such plant cells, characterized in that said plant cells are grown, or said plant or a part thereof, is cultivated in the presence of a trehalase inhibitor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the production of alcoholic beverages such as beer or whiskey with a mixture of enzymes comprising an endo-&bgr;(1,4)-xylanase, an arabinofuranosidase, an alpha-amylase, an endo-protease and a &bgr;-(1,3; 1,4)-glucanase, and optionally, a saccharifying amylase and/or an exopeptidase. Preferable are mixtures in which the enzymes which are necessary in the brewing process are provided by transgenic seeds. Only a minor amount of malt may be necessary for flavour and color.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the production of alcoholic beverages such as beer or whiskey with a mixture of enzymes comprising an endo-&bgr;(1,4)-xylanase, an arabinofuranosidase, an alpha-amylase, an endo-protease and a &bgr;-(1,3, 1,4)-glucanase, and optionally, a saccharifying amylase and/or an exopeptidase. Preferable are mixtures in which the enzymes which are necessary in the brewing process are provided by transgenic seeds. Only a minor amount of malt may be necessary for flavor and color.

Abstract: There is provided a method for inhibiting growth and/or germination of a fungus, by contacting the fungus, or causing the fungus to be contacted with a composition including an effective amount of a pathogenesis-related protein occurring naturally in a plant. The protein has endochitinase activity, antifungal activity and a molecular weight of about 40 to 43 kDa as judged by Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide electrophoresis. There is also provided a composition for inhibiting growth and/or germination of a fungus. The composition includes a pathogenesis-related protein occurring naturally in a plant. The protein has endochitinase activity, antifungal activity and a molecular weight of about 40 to 43 kDa as judged by Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide electrophoresis. The composition also includes .beta.-1,3-glucanase in an amount sufficient to enhance the effectiveness of the composition in inhibiting the growth or germination of the fungus.

Abstract: A nucleic acid having (i) a DNA molecule which, when expressed in a plant or plant cell, increases the trehalose content of the plant or plant cell, the DNA molecule encoding an E. coli trehalose phosphate synthase, and (ii) a plant expressible promoter operatively coupled to the DNA molecule. Also, a method for obtaining a plant with increased trehalose production by introducing into a recipient cell of a plant, a plant expressible gene which, when expressed in a plant or plant cell increases the trehalose content of the plant or plant cell. The plant expressible gene is an E. coli trehalose phosphate synthase gene which is operably linked to: a) a transcriptional initiation region that is functional in the plant, and b) a DNA molecule encoding a selectable marker gene that is functional in the plant. The method includes a step of regenerating a plant from the recipient cell under conditions that allow for selection for the presence of the selectable marker gene.

Abstract: A method for producing transgenic seeds and plants, which comprises isolating, from anthers, microspores in their uninucleate stage and removing tissue in which they are embedded, culturing the isolated microspores in a nutrient solution, transferring foreign genetic material into the isolated microspores to obtain transformed microspores, bringing about complete maturation of the transformed microspores to obtain transformed pollen grains in vitro, pollinating receiver plants with the transformed pollen grains and obtaining seeds from the pollinated receiver plants.

Abstract: The invention provides Agrobacterium strains capable of producing a cite-specific recombinase capable of effecting site-specific recombination of a first and a second recombination site in Agrobacterium strains, when present therein, comprising a structural DNA sequence encoding said recombinase and a DNA sequence capable of controlling expression in Agrobacterium strains. The invention also provides methods for using the strains to transform plant cells.