Abstract: The invention concerns a method for improving growth characteristics of plants by increasing activity in a plant of an RNA-binding protein which is: (i) a polypeptide having RNA-binding activity and comprising 2 or 3 RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) and a motif having at least 75% identity to motif I: PYEAAVVALPVVVKERLVRILRLGIATRYD (SEQ ID NO: 12) and/or a motif having at least 50% identity to motif II: RFDPFTGEPYKFDP (SEQ ID NO: 13); or (ii) an RBP1 polypeptide having (a) RNA-binding activity; (b) two RRM domains, (c) the following two motifs: (i) KIFVGGL (SEQ ID NO: 41); and (ii) RPRGFGF (SEQ ID NO: 42), allowing for up to three amino acid substitutions and any conservative change in the motifs; and (d) having at least 20% identity to SEQ ID NO: 15. Also provided is transgenic plants introduced with an RNA-binding protein-encoding nucleic acid having improved growth characteristics and constructs useful in the methods.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and concerns a method for enhancing various economically important yield-related traits in plants. More specifically, the present invention concerns a method for enhancing various economically important yield-related traits in plants relative to control plants, by increasing expression in a plant of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Yield-Enhancing Polypeptide (YEP). The YEP may be a Class I TCP or a CAH3 or a Clavata1 (CLV1) polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain. The present invention also concerns plants having increased expression of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a YEP, which plants have enhanced yield-related traits in plants relative to control plants. The invention also provides constructs useful in the methods of the invention.