Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention automatically measure the impact of natural conditions and/or deliberate interventions on crop yields. Other embodiments automatically predict the impact of natural conditions and/or deliberate interventions on crop yields. By eliminating the need for human intervention, judgment, or discretion from the processes of measuring and predicting impact on yield, embodiments of the present invention enable such measurements and predictions to be made significantly more accurately, quickly, and inexpensively than has been possible with preexisting techniques.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a methods of inhibiting postharvest disease or desiccation in a fruit or vegetable, either by treating a fruit or vegetable with a hypersensitive response elicitor protein or polypeptide under conditions effective to inhibit postharvest disease or desiccation, or by providing a transgenic plant or plant seed transformed with a DNA molecule encoding a hypersensitive response elicitor polypeptide or protein and growing the transgenic plant or transgenic plant produced from the transgenic plant seed under conditions effective to inhibit a postharvest disease or desiccation in a fruit or vegetable harvested from the transgenic plant. Also disclosed are DNA constructs and expression systems, host cells, and transgenic plants containing the DNA construct.

Abstract: A method of contracting for the sale of a yield-increase and/or crop protection related products includes the steps of mapping, using geo-referencing technology, areas of a field which have been treated with the yield-increase and/or crop protection related product and areas of the field which have not been treated, measuring, using geo-referencing technology, an amount of harvested crop from the field in both the treated and untreated areas, comparing the amount of harvested crop in the treated areas with the amount of harvested crop in the untreated areas to determine a yield increase associated with the treated areas, and charging for application of the yield-increase and/or crop protection related product based on the determined amount of yield increase. The data acquired may be stored in a database for further use and comparison.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of making a stable liquid composition containing a harpin protein or polypeptide. Also disclosed is a composition comprising an aqueous carrier, a harpin protein or polypeptide, an effective amount of a biocidal agent, and optionally, an effective amount of one or both of a protease inhibitor and a non-ionic surfactant. The composition retains harpin activity for at least about 72 hours. The present invention also relates to a method of inducing a plant response by applying to a plant or a plant seed the composition of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an isolated protein which serves as a receptor in plants for a plant pathogen hypersensitive response elicitor. Also disclosed are nucleic acid molecules encoding such receptors as well as expression vectors, host cells, transgenic plants, and transgenic plant seeds containing such nucleic acid molecules. Both the protein and nucleic acid can be used to identify agents targeting plant cells to enhance a plant's receptivity to treatment with a hypersensitive response elicitor and to directly impart plant growth enhancement as well as resistance against disease, insects, and stress.