PRODUCTION OF PLANTS WITH INCREASED TOLERANCE TO DROUGHT STRESS OR WITH INCREASED TRANSPIRATION

摘要

Described is a method for producing transgenic and mutant plants having an increased tolerance to drought stress due to a reduced activity of an ABC transporter which is expressed in guard cells. This reduction of ABC transporer activity can be achieved by introducing a suitable nucleic acid molecule into the plant genome, for example, for inducing an antisense, co-supression or like effect or for inactivating the gene encoding the ABC transporter by T-DNA or transposon insertion. Furthermore described are transgenic and mutant plants obtainable by the above-mentioned method as well as transgenic plant cells and propagation and harvestable material and corresponding uses of suitable nucleic acid molecules. Also described is a method for producing transgenic and mutant plants having an increased transpiration due to an increased activity of an ABC transporter which is expressed in guard cells. This increase of ABC transporter activity can be achieved by overexpressing the ABC transporter. Furthermore described are transgenic and mutant plants obtainable by the above-mentioned method as well as transgenic plant cells and propagation and harvestable material and corresponding uses of suitable nucleic acid molecules.