Isolated polypeptides and polynucleotides useful for increasing nitrogen use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, yield and biomass in plants

A method of growing a crop, comprising growing a crop plant over-expressing a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to the full length amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO:

• 187 as compared to a native plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, wherein said crop plant is derived from parent plants that over-express said polypeptide and that have been selected for at least one trait selected from the group consisting of:
• an increased nitrogen use efficiency, an increased fertilizer use efficiency, an increased yield, an increased growth rate, an increased vigor, an increased biomass, and an increased tolerance to nitrogen deficiency, as compared to the native plant of the same species, which is grown under the same growth conditions, and said crop plant over-expressing said polypeptide has said increased nitrogen use efficiency, said increased fertilizer use efficiency, said increased yield, said increased growth rate, said increased vigor, said increased biomass, and/or said increased tolerance to nitrogen deficiency, thereby growing the crop.

A method of growing a crop, comprising growing a crop plant over-expressing a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 99% identical to the full length amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO:

• 187 or 1678 as compared to a native plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, wherein said crop plant is derived from parent plants that over-express said polypeptide and that have been selected for at least one trait selected from the group consisting of:
• an increased nitrogen use efficiency, an increased fertilizer use efficiency, an increased yield, an increased growth rate, an increased vigor, an increased biomass, and an increased tolerance to nitrogen deficiency, as compared to the native plant of the same species, which is grown under the same growth conditions, and said crop plant over-expressing said polypeptide has said increased nitrogen use efficiency, said increased fertilizer use efficiency, said increased yield, said increased growth rate, said increased vigor, said increased biomass, and/or said increased tolerance to nitrogen deficiency, thereby growing the crop.