Methods to genetically engineer vegetative traits for stress adaptation and disease resistance by directed expression of abscisic acid-related transcription factors can substantially increase the volume and quality of crops grown under stress.
Applications
It is estimated that global crop losses due to drought exceed $10 billion annually. Methods to genetically engineer value-added vegetative traits for stress adaptation and disease resistance can substantially increase the volume and quality of products produced in difficult environments.
Competitive Advantages
Improvement of crop plants for a variety of traits has been achieved by introducing new or modified genes into plant genomes. These improvements include disease and pest resistance, adaptation to abiotic stresses, and grain quality improvements such as oil, starch and protein composition. This invention uses a combinatorial method of transcription factor expression that should overcome the limitations of targeted gene expression while simultaneously promoting coordinated regulation of multiple endogenous genes important for stress adaptation.
IP Status
A utility patent (US 7,446,241) has been issued for this technology with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.