Abstract: The present invention relates to new methods of selecting and breeding organisms, in particular organisms which exhibit symbiotic behaviour with symbionts such as fungal endophytes or epiphytes or bacterial microbiome in plants, and to new organisms and symbiota developed thereby. More particularly, the present invention provides artificial seeds comprising symbiota, and methods for preparing and using such artificial seeds, as well as plants, plant seeds and other plant parts derived from artificial seeds or symbiont-containing plants of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention relates to fungi of Acremonium spp, wherein said fungi are purified or isolated from plants of the Brachiaria-Urochloa complex and wherein, when said fungi are inoculated into a plant, said plant has improved resistance to diseases and/or pests relative to an uninocualated control plant. The present invention also relates to plants inoculated with such fungi, products produced by the fungi and related genes, proteins and methods.

Abstract: The present invention provides substantially purified or isolated fungi of Nodulisporium spp. or Ascocoryne spp., plants infected with said fungi, organic compounds produced by said fungi, and related nucleic acids, polypeptides and methods.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for identifying and/or characterising an endophyte strain, said method including providing a plurality of samples of endophytes, subjecting said endophytes to genetic analysis, subjecting said endophytes to metabolic analysis and selecting endophytes having a desired genetic and metabolic profile. The present invention also relates to novel endophytes having a desired toxin profile wherein the endophyte produces significantly less toxic alkaloids compared with a control endophyte such as standard toxic (ST) endophyte; and/or significantly more alkaloids conferring beneficial properties compared with a control endophyte such as ST endophyte. The present invention also relates to endophyte variants having a desired genetic and metabolic profile, wherein said endophyte variants possess genetic and/or metabolic characteristics that result in a beneficial phenotype in a plant harbouring or otherwise associated with the endophyte variant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the modification of fructan biosynthesis in plants and, more particularly, to enzymes involved in the fructan biosynthetic pathway and nucleic acids encoding such enzymes. The present invention also relates to regulatory elements and, more particularly, to promoters capable of causing expression of an exogenous gene in plant cells, such promoters being from a gene encoding an enzyme involved in the fructan biosynthetic pathway in plants. The invention also relates to vectors including the nucleic acids and regulatory elements of the invention, plant cells, plants, seeds and other plant parts transformed with the regulatory elements, nucleic acids and vectors, and methods of using the nucleic acids, regulatory elements and vectors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the modification of lignin biosynthesis in plants, using the nucleotide sequences encoding the enzymes 4-coumarate CoA-ligase (4CL), cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) of the lignin biosynthetic pathway, from ryegrass (Lolium) and fescue (Festuca). The present invention also relates to regulatory elements, promoters capable of causing expression of exogenous genes in plants, wherein the regulatory elements are from the genes for caffeic acid Omethyl transferase (OMT), 4CL, CCR or CAD. The invention also relates to vectors including the nucleic acids and regulatory elements of the invention, plant cells, plants, plant seeds and other plant parts transformed with the regulatory elements, nucleic acids and vectors and methods using the nucleic acids, regulatory elements and vectors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of modifying resistance of plants to diseases and/or pests by transforming the plants with a nucleic acid encoding ryegrass O-methyltransferase (OMT). The invention also relates to transformed plants, cells and seeds having increased disease and/or pest resistance by expressing rygrass O-methyltransferase (OMT).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of enhancing resistance of plants to one or multiple viruses, comprising introducing to a plant cell, and preferably expressing therein, a nucleotide sequence encoding a virus-encoded polypeptide. The present invention provides a method of enhancing the proportion of virus-resistant or virus-immune lines obtained from a single transformation experiment comprising introducing to a plant cell, a nucleotide sequence encoding a virus-encoded polypeptide operably in connection with a strong promoter sequence. The present invention provides novel gene sequences encoding the coat proteins of a virus and novel dysfunctional replicase sequences as well as gene constructs comprising same, in particular binary vector constructs suitable for introducing into plants and expressing the genes therein. The present invention provides and methods using same to enhance viral resistance in plants.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of modifying resistance of plants to disease and/or pests, through using the caffeic acid/caffeate O-methyltransferase (OMT) gene to modify lignin biosynthesis in plants. The preferred OMT gene is from ryegrass (Lolium perenne) or fescue (Festuca). The invention also relates to vectors useful in such methods, transformed plants with modified resistance to disease and/or pests, and plant cells, seeds and other parts of such plants.