Plant transcriptional regulators of abiotic stress

A method for producing a transgenic plant having greater tolerance to an osmotic stress or cold than a control plant, the method steps comprising:

• (a) introducing an expression vector into a plant to produce the transgenic plant;
• wherein the expression vector comprises a polynucleotide sequence encoding a member of the G867 clade of transcription factor polypeptides;
• wherein the member of the G867 clade of transcription factor polypeptides comprises an AP2 domain, a B3 domain and a DML motif;
• and
• wherein the AP2 domain, the B3 domain and the DML motif are at least 81%, 78% and 76% identical to the AP2 domain, the B3 domain and the DML motif of SEQ ID NO:
• 2, respectively,
• (b) growing the transgenic plant;
• and
• (c) selecting the transgenic plant on the basis of its greater tolerance to osmotic stress or cold than the control plant.

A method for producing a transgenic plant, the method comprising:

• (a) providing an expression vector comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• and wherein the polynucleotide sequence is operably linked to an inducible or tissue specific promoter that controls expression of the polynucleotide sequence;
• (b) transforming a target plant with the expression vector to produce the transformed plant;
• (c) growing the transgenic plant;
• and
• (d) selecting the transformed plant on the basis of its greater tolerance to an osmotic stress or cold than a control plant.