Polynucleotides, polypeptides encoded thereby, and methods of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance, biomass and/or yield in plants expressing same

A method of improving an agronomic trait selected from the group consisting of:

• root coverage, root length, leaf area, rosette diameter, rosette area, plot coverage, leaf number, growth rate of root length, growth rate of root coverage, growth rate of rosette area, growth rate of rosette diameter, and growth rate of plot coverage of a plant as compared to a native plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, comprising:
• (a) expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:75 or an orthologue thereof, said orthologue having at least 88% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:75, and
• (b) selecting plants resultant of step (a) for an increased root coverage, increased root length, increased leaf area, increased rosette diameter, increased rosette area, increased plot coverage, increased leaf number, increased growth rate of root length, increased growth rate of root coverage, increased growth rate of rosette area, increased growth rate of rosette diameter, or increased growth rate of plot coverage as compared to a native plant which is grown under the same growth conditions,
• thereby improving the agronomic trait selected from the group consisting of:
• root coverage, root length, leaf area, rosette diameter, rosette area, plot coverage, leaf number, growth rate of root length, growth rate of root coverage, growth rate of rosette area, growth rate of rosette diameter, and growth rate of plot coverage of the plant as compared to the native plant which is grown under the same growth conditions.

A method of improving an agronomic trait selected from the group consisting of:

• root coverage, root length, leaf area, rosette diameter, rosette area, plot coverage, leaf number, growth rate of root length, growth rate of root coverage, growth rate of rosette area, growth rate of rosette diameter, and growth rate of plot coverage of a plant as compared to a native plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, comprising:
• (a) expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:
• 75, and 517-523, and
• (b) selecting plants resultant of step (a) for an increased root coverage, increased root length, increased leaf area, increased rosette diameter, increased rosette area, increased plot coverage, increased leaf number, increased growth rate of root length, increased growth rate of root coverage, increased growth rate of rosette area, increased growth rate of rosette diameter, or increased growth rate of plot coverage as compared to a native plant which is grown under the same growth conditions,
• thereby improving the agronomic trait selected from the group consisting of:
• root coverage, root length, leaf area, rosette diameter, rosette area, plot coverage, leaf number, growth rate of root length, growth rate of root coverage, growth rate of rosette area, growth rate of rosette diameter, and growth rate of plot coverage of the plant as compared to the native plant which is grown under the same growth conditions.

A method of producing seeds of a crop comprising:

• (a) selecting a parent plant transformed with an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:75 or an orthologue thereof, wherein said orthologue has at least 88% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:75 for an increased root coverage, increased root length, increased leaf area, increased rosette diameter, increased rosette area, increased plot coverage, increased leaf number, increased growth rate of root length, increased growth rate of root coverage, increased growth rate of rosette area, increased growth rate of rosette diameter, or increased growth rate of plot coverage as compared to a native plant of the same species which is grown under the same conditions, (b) growing a seed producing crop plant from said parent plant resultant of step (a), wherein said seed producing crop plant comprises said exogenous polynucleotide and has said increased root coverage, said increased root length, said increased leaf area, said increased rosette diameter, said increased rosette area, said increased plot coverage, said increased leaf number, said increased growth rate of root length, said increased growth rate of root coverage, said increased growth rate of rosette area, said increased growth rate of rosette diameter, or said increased growth rate of plot coverage, and (c) producing seeds from said seed producing crop plant resultant of step (b), thereby producing seeds of the crop.