Patent ID: 7767884

Claim:
A method of reducing or preventing flowering in a plant, the method comprising expressing a polynucleotide comprising a heterologous nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) nucleotide sequences encoding a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 3; (b) the coding sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2; and (c) nucleotide sequences having at least 95% identity with the nucleotide sequence of (a) or (b) wherein said nucleotide sequences encode a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence YESP(K/R), of SEQ ID No. 30 or 31 and which, when expressed, extends the vegetative-inflorescence phase, increases lateral branching, represses flowering in said plant in the first year of growth, and/or represses flowering in said plant after the first year of growth.