Interfering with hd-zip transcription factor repression of gene expression to produce plants with enhanced traits

A recombinant DNA construct comprising an RNA-coding DNA molecule operably linked to a heterologous promoter that, when expressed in a plant or a plant cell, produces an RNA molecule that suppresses the expression of a target HD-Zip class II protein.

A recombinant DNA construct comprising a DNA molecule operably linked to a heterologous promoter that, when expressed in a plant or a plant cell, produces a loss-of-function mutation in an endogenous HD-Zip class II gene.

A method for producing a plant with an enhanced trait comprising the steps of:

• (a) incorporating into a population of plants a recombinant DNA construct that, when expressed in the plants, produces a protein that interferes with the ability of endogenous HD-Zip class II proteins to repress DNA transcription of genes regulated by the endogenous HD-Zip class II proteins;
• and
• (b) selecting a plant from a sub-population of the plants comprising the recombinant DNA construct that has an enhanced trait selected from the group consisting of staygreen, increased ear biomass, increased ear size, increased ear diameter, increased ear length, increased seed size, increased seed number per plant, increased seed weight, increased pod/silique size, increased pod/silique number per plant, increased pod/silique weight, increased size of cotton boll, increased cotton fiber length, increased number of bolls per plant, increased panicles, and increased yield, relative to a control plant that does not comprise the recombinant DNA construct.

A method for producing a plant with an enhanced trait comprising the steps of:

• (a) incorporating into a population of plants a recombinant DNA construct that, when expressed in the plants, produces an RNA molecule that suppresses the expression of a target HD-Zip class II protein;
• and
• (b) selecting a plant from a sub-population of the plants comprising the recombinant DNA construct that has an enhanced trait selected from the group consisting of staygreen, increased ear biomass, increased ear size, increased ear diameter, increased ear length, increased seed size, increased seed number per plant, increased seed weight, increased pod/silique size, increased pod/silique number per plant, increased pod/silique weight, increased size of cotton boll, increased cotton fiber length, increased number of bolls per plant, increased panicles, and increased yield, relative to a control plant that does not comprise the recombinant DNA construct.

A method for producing a plant with an enhanced trait comprising the steps of:

• (a) incorporating into a population of plants a recombinant DNA construct that, when expressed, produces a loss-of-function mutation in an endogenous HD-Zip class II gene;
• and
• (b) selecting a plant from a sub-population of the plants comprising the loss-of-function mutation that has an enhanced trait selected from the group consisting of staygreen, increased ear biomass, increased ear size, increased ear diameter, increased ear length, increased seed size, increased seed number per plant, increased seed weight, increased pod/silique size, increased pod/silique number per plant, increased pod/silique weight, increased size of cotton boll, increased cotton fiber length, increased number of bolls per plant, increased panicles, and increased yield, relative to a control plant that does not comprise the loss-of-function mutation.