Patent ID: 8569576

Claim:
A method for increasing biomass and seed yield in a plant grown under nitrogen deficient conditions, said method comprising the steps of: (a) transforming plant cells with a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Glutamate:Glyoxylate aminotransferase (GGAT) polypeptide having an amino acid sequence that is at least 98% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, and wherein the nucleic acid sequence is operably linked to a promoter; (b) regenerating transgenic plants from said transformed plant cells; and (c) selecting a transformed plant from said transgenic plants which exhibits increase in biomass and seed yield as compared to an untransformed plant of the same species grown under said nitrogen deficient conditions, and wherein said increase in biomass and seed yield is due to the expression of said GGAT polypeptide in said selected transformed plant.