Patent ID: 9708672
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: A01H,C12N,C12Q

Claim:
1. A method for producing a plant exhibiting a useful trait comprising the steps of: a. suppressing expression of an endogenous MSH1 gene(s) in a first parental plant by introducing into the first parental plant: b. selfing or crossing the parental plant of step (a), progeny of said parental plant of step (a), a plant obtained from said plant cell of step (a), or progeny of a plant obtained from said plant cell of step (a), wherein the cross is to a second plant wherein MSH1 had not been suppressed; c. screening a population of progeny plants obtained from said self or cross of step (b) for at least one useful trait selected from the group consisting of improved yield under non-stress conditions, improved yield under abiotic stress conditions, or improved resistance to a fungal pathogen, wherein a portion of said population of progeny plants express MSH1; d. selecting a progeny plant having improved yield under non-stress conditions, improved yield under abiotic stress conditions, or improved resistance to a fungal pathogen in comparison to a control plant, and e. cultivating the selected progeny plant of step (d); wherein the screening step (c) or the selecting step (d) comprises measuring the methylation status of chromosomal DNA of one or more altered chromosomal loci in the nucleus of plant cells of a progeny plant of step (c) or step (d), respectively, and the methylation status of chromosomal DNA in the nucleus of plant cells of a control plant that does not exhibit the useful trait, wherein said improved yield or resistance exhibits nuclear inheritance and correlates with one or more epigenetic changes in nuclear chromosomal loci of the progeny plant, and is not caused by substoichiometric shifting (SSS) in mitochondria of the selected progeny plant and wherein said selected progeny plant expresses MSH1, thereby producing a plant exhibiting the useful trait.