Patent ID: 8592652

Claim:
A method for increasing resistance to a fungal pathogen in a plant, plant cell or in a part of a plant relative to a corresponding control plant, plant cell, or plant part, comprising: 1) reducing the activity of a subtilisin (RNR9) polypeptide in a plant, plant cell or plant part by introducing into said plant, plant cell or plant part a nucleic acid molecule encoding a dsRNA, an antisense RNA, or a RNAi that targets a mRNA encoding the RNR9 polypeptide, and 2) selecting for a plant, plant cell, or plant part having increased resistance to a fungal pathogen as compared to a corresponding control plant, plant cell, or plant part; wherein the RNR9 polypeptide is encoded by a polynucleotide comprising at least one nucleic acid molecule selected from the group consisting of: a) a nucleic acid molecule which encodes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; b) a nucleic acid molecule which comprises the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; c) a nucleic acid molecule which encodes a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; and d) a nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes with the complement of the nucleic acid molecule of (a) or (b) under stringent conditions comprising hybridization in 4×SSC at 65° C. followed by washing in 0.2×SSC at 65° C., wherein the nucleic acid molecule codes for a polypeptide having essentially identical properties to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2.