[DANILEVSKAYA, Olga N., HABBEN, Jeffrey E., HAYES, Kevin R., SIMMONS, Carl R., DESCHAMPS, Stephane D.] 7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014;1007 Market Street Wilmington, Delaware 19898;6004 Dogwood Circle Johnston, Iowa 50131;8813 Sunflower Circle Urbandale, Iowa 50322;15802 Brookshire Drive Urbandale, Iowa 50323;4011 Amick Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50310;23 Henry Court Wilmington, Delaware 19808 The present disclosure provides polynucleotide sequences relating to the diurnal cycling in maize leaf and ear tissues. The disclosure provides polynucleotide sequences and the use of encoded polypeptides associated with the oscillation. The disclosed sequences are responsible for controlling plant growth, source-sink relationships and yield in crop plants.

7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014;1007 Market Street Wilmington, Delaware 19898 The disclosure provides means for altering the expression of non-cellulosic polysaccharides in plants using Golgi targeted enzyme nucleic acids and their encoded proteins. The present disclosure provides methods and compositions relating to altering feruloylation, acetylation and crosslinking in plants, leading to improved biomass available for biofuel production and silage digestibility. The disclosure further provides recombinant expression cassettes, host cells, and transgenic plants comprising said nucleic acids.

[LOUSSAERT, Daniel F., O'NEILL, Dennis, SIMMONS, Carl R., WANG, Haiyin] 7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014;12231 Wellington Ridge Drive Clive, Iowa 50325;2702 N.W. Maple Street Ankeny, Iowa 50023;4011 Amick Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50310;6473 N. Winwood Drive Johnston, Iowa 50131 The NR enzymes described herein were discovered in the red algae of Porphyra perforata (PpNR) and Porphyra yezoensis (PyNR). The present invention provides methods and compositions relating to altering NR activity, nitrogen utilization and/or uptake in plants. The invention relates to a method for the production of plants with maintained or increased yield under low nitrogen fertility. The invention provides isolated nitrate reductase (NR) nucleic acids and their encoded proteins. The invention further provides recombinant expression cassettes, host cells, and transgenic plants. Plants transformed with nucleotide sequences encoding the NR enzyme show improved properties, for example, increased yield and growth.

[DHUGGA, Kanwarpal S., MEELEY, Robert B., SIMMONS, Carl R.] 7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1000;8320 Barnham Drive Johnston, Iowa 50131;3214 Edwards Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50312;4011 Amick Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50310 The present invention provides polynucleotides and related polypeptides of the class of genes involved in maize secondary wall (ZmSCW) formation. The invention provides genomic sequence for the ZmSCW genes. ZmSCW are responsible for controlling plant growth, secondary cell wall development and yield in crop plants.

[DHUGGA, Kanwarpal S., APPENZELLER, Laura M., GUPTA, Rajeev, ABBARAJU, Hari Kishan Rao] 7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014;8320 Barnham Drive Johnston, Iowa 50131;30681 I Avenue Adel, Iowa 50003;6400 Stanmore Court Johnston, Iowa 50131;5488 Long View Court #8 Johnston, Iowa 50131 The present invention provides methods and compositions for making and using transgenic plants that exhibit increased nitrogen storage capacity compared to wild-type plants. Methods of the invention comprise inducing overexpression of monocot-derived vegetative storage proteins (VSPs) in plants, particularly in monocots. In some embodiments, at least one nucleotide construct comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the ZmLox6 protein or a biologically active fragment or variant thereof is introduced into a plant. Depending upon the objective, the nucleotide construct may optionally comprise an operably linked coding sequence for a vacuolar sorting signal or plastid transit peptide in order to direct storage of the ZmLox6 protein or biologically active fragment or variant thereof into the vacuolar compartment or plastid compartment, respectively, of the cells in which the VSP is expressed. The invention further provides methods for producing plants with increased nitrogen content and/or increased nutritional value, which is desirable in commercial crops, including those used for forage, silage, and grain production.

[HERSHEY, Howard P., SIMMONS, Carl R., LOUSSAERT, Dale] 7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014;3671 Deerfield Drive Cumming, Iowa 50061;4011 Amick Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50310;12231 Wellington Ridge Drive Clive, Iowa 50325 The invention provides isolated NUE (nitrogen utilization efficiency) nucleic acids and their encoded proteins. The present invention provides methods and compositions relating to altering nitrogen utilization and/or uptake in plants. The invention further provides recombinant expression cassettes, host cells, and transgenic plants.

[BATE, Nicholas J., CHUNG, Jennifer Youjin, HABBEN, Jeffrey E.] 7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014;7813 Claiborne Circle Urbandale, Iowa 50322;4901 Ashland Place Johnston, Iowa 50131;8813 Sunflower Circle Urbandale, Iowa 50322 Compositions and methods for modulating flower organ development, leaf formation, phototropism, apical dominance, fruit development, initiation of roots and for increasing yield in a plant are provided. The compositions include an AP2 transcription factor sequence. Compositions of the invention comprise amino acid sequences and nucleotide sequences selected from SEQ ID NOS: 1 -1 1 as well as variants and fragments thereof. Nucleotide sequences encoding the AP2 transcription factors are provided in DNA constructs for expression in a plant of interest are provided for modulating the level of an AP2 transcription factor sequence in a plant or a plant part are provided. The methods comprise introducing into a plant or plant part a heterologous polynucleotide comprising an AP2 transcription factor sequence of the invention. The level of the AP2 transcription factor polypeptide can be increased or decreased. Such method can be used to increase the yield in plants; in one embodiment, the method is used to increase grain yield in cereals.

[HOU, Zhenglin, KAHSAY, Robel Y., LOUSSAERT, Dale, SHEN, Bo, TOMB, Jean-Francois, WANG, Haiyin] 7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014;1007 Market Street Wilmington, Delaware 19898;c/o Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-0552;c/o Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-0552;c/o Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-0552;c/o Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-0552;c/o Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-0552;c/o Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-0552 Methods for modulating plants using optimized Bacterial MFS constructs are disclosed. Also disclosed are nucleotide sequences, constructs, vectors, and modified plant cells, as well as transgenic plants displaying increased seed and/or biomass yield, improved tolerance to abiotic stress such as drought or high plant density, improved nitrogen utilization efficiency, increased ear tissue growth or kernel number.

[BRUCE, Wesley, B.] 800 Capital Square 400 Locust Street Des Moines, IA 50309;12845 N.W. 85th Avenue Grimes, IA 50111 Methods and compositions for modulating development and/or developmental pathways are provided. The compositions of the present invention comprise nucleic acid and amino acid sequences. Particularly, the nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:1, 3, or 5) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:2, 4 or 6) for a maize REVOLUTA polypeptide are provided. Methods are provided for the expression of the REVOLUTA sequences in a host plant or plant cell to modulate plant development and/or developmental pathways. The methods of the invention finds use in controlling or modulating cell division, differentiation and development. In particular, the sequences of the present invention find use in modulating meristem development. Transformed plants, plant cells, tissues, and seed are also provided.

7100 N.W. 62nd Avenue Johnston, Iowa 50131-1014 Compositions and methods for the production of self-reproducing hybrid plants are provided. Compositions include suppression cassettes encoding polynucleotides and promoters that result in the MiMe clonal diploid gamete phenotype compositions and suppression cassettes and expression cassettes useful for genome elimination of a parental diploid gamete in a fertilized zygote. The methods involve crossing a first plant comprising a first suppression cassette responsible for producing the MiMe clonal diploid gamete phenotype and a first expression cassette expressing an active CENH3 mutant with a second plant comprising a second suppression cassette that reduces the level of wild-type CENH3 and a second expression cassette comprising a polynucleotide expressing CENH3 specifically in the ovule. Self fertilization of the resultant progeny plant results in the elimination of the male diploid genome in the zygote and normal development of the endosperm. Additionally provided are plants and seeds produced by the methods of the invention.