Polynucleotide sequences and their use in a method of producing plants with an increased number of stomata

摘要

A method of producing plants with an increased number of stomata relative to control plants comprises the steps of: (i) inhibiting in plant material the production of fatty acids which stimulate the synthesis of the 14-3-3 class of transcription factors, or otherwise preventing the fatty acids from stimulating the synthesis of the said factors; (ii) selecting the thus inhibited material; and (iii) regenerating the thus selected material into plants. The inhibition may be achieved by sense co-suppression or anti-sense inhibition of an endogenous gene comprising a sequence which is complementary to one which when incubated at a temperature of between 60 and 65 DEG C in 0.3 strength citrate buffered saline containing 0.1 % SDS followed by rinsing at the same temperature with 0.3 strength citrate buffered saline containing 0.1 % SDS still hybridises with the sequence depicted in SEQ ID No.1. Preferred sequences for use in this method are depicted as SEQ ID No.1 and 2.