Abstract: A system for reducing the incidence or severity of fungal infection of a plant, comprising a chemical fungicide component, which may be provided by foliar or root (soil or liquid nutrient) application, together with an antifungal plant defensin not in nature expressed in the plant being protected or expressed in lower amounts or in different tissues, provides synergistic improvement in protection against infection by a plant pathogenic fungus which is susceptible to the defensin and the fungicide. The fungicide can be a strobilurin or a triazole, and the defensin can be selected from a wide range of known defensins, for example, NaD1 and others, or it can be a chimeric defensin engineered for low toxicity to the plant. The defensin can be provided as a protein formulation, optionally together with the fungicide, or it can be provided by recombinant expression in the plant to be protected from fungal infection.

Abstract: A system for reducing the incidence or severity of fungal infection of a plant, comprising a chemical fungicide component, which may be provided by foliar or root (soil or liquid nutrient) application, together with an antifungal plant defensin not in nature expressed in the plant being protected or expressed in lower amounts or in different tissues, provides synergistic improvement in protection against infection by a plant pathogenic fungus which is susceptible to the defensin and the fungicide. The fungicide can be a strobilurin or a triazole, and the defensin can be selected from a wide range of known defensins, for example, NaD1 and others, or it can be a chimeric defensin engineered for low toxicity to the plant. The defensin can be provided as a protein formulation, optionally together with the fungicide, or it can be provided by recombinant expression in the plant to be protected from fungal infection.

Abstract: A system for reducing the incidence or severity of fungal infection of a plant, comprising a chemical fungicide component, which may be provided by foliar or root (soil or liquid nutrient) application, together with an antifungal plant defensin not in nature expressed in the plant being protected or expressed in lower amounts or in different tissues, provides synergistic improvement in protection against infection by a plant pathogenic fungus which is susceptible to the defensin and the fungicide. The fungicide can be a strobilurin or a triazole, and the defensin can be selected from a wide range of known defensins, for example, NaD1 and others, or it can be a chimeric defensin engineered for low toxicity to the plant. The defensin can be provided as a protein formulation, optionally together with the fungicide, or it can be provided by recombinant expression in the plant to be protected from fungal infection.

Abstract: A multigene expression vehicle (MGEV) consisting essentially of a polynucleotide comprising 2 to 8 domain segments, D, each domain encoding a functional protein, each domain being joined to the next in a linear sequence by a Linker (L) segment encoding a Linker peptide, the D and L segments all being in the same reading frame, and at least one of the domains is not a type two protease inhibitor.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a novel chymotrypsin that exhibits resistance to a plant serine proteinase inhibitor. More particularly, the present invention provides a chymotrypsin which is up-regulated in the gut of Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa punctigera insect larvae when fed the serine proteinase inhibitors of Nicotiana alata. The novel chymotrypsin represents, therefore, a target for the identification of antagonists including inhibitors which are proposed to be useful in the control of Helicoverpa spp. populations that have become resistant to serine proteinase inhibitors produced in plants. The antagonists of the chymotrypsin may be topically applied to the plants or, when in proteinaceous form, may be produced by genetic means in plant cells. The antagonists may act at the level of gene expression or protein activity.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to proteinase inhibitors, a precursor thereof and to genetic sequences encoding same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule comprising a sequence of nucleotides which encodes or is complementary to a sequence which encodes a type II serine proteinase inhibitor (PI) precursor from a plant wherein said precursor comprises at least three PI monomers and wherein at least one of said monomers has a chymotrypsin specific site and at least one other of said monomers has a trypsin specific site.

Abstract: The present invention provides nucleic acid molecules derived from Nicotiana alata, which encode defensin-like molecules. The present invention contemplates the use of such nucleic acid molecules in the generation of transgenic plants having resistance or at least reduced sensitivity to plant pests including insects, microorganisms, fungi and/or viruses. The transgenic plants provided by the present invention include monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants, and particularly include crop plants and ornamental flowering plants.

Abstract: The present invention provides nucleic acid molecules derived from Nicotiana alata, which encode defensin-like molecules. The present invention contemplates the use of such nucleic acid molecules in the generation of transgenic plants having resistance or at least reduced sensitivity to plant pests including insects, microorganisms, fungi and/or viruses. The transgenic plants provided by the present invention include monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants, and particularly include crop plants and ornamental flowering plants.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to proteinase inhibitors, a precursor thereof and to genetic sequences encoding same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule comprising a sequence of nucleotides which encodes or is complementary to a sequence which encodes a type II serine proteinase inhibitor (PI) precursor from a plant wherein said precursor comprises at least three PI monomers and wherein at least one of said monomers has a chymotrypsin specific site and at least one other of said monomers has a trypsin specific site.

Abstract: The present invention provides nucleic acid molecules derived from Nicotiana alata, which encode defensin-like molecules. The present invention contemplates the use of such nucleic acid molecules in the generation of transgenic plants having resistance or at least reduced sensitivity to plant pests including insects, microorganisms, fungi and/or viruses. The transgenic plants provided by the present invention include monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants, and particularly include crop plants and ornamental flowering plants.

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.