BASF receives patent for transgenic plants with increased stress tolerance

BASF Plant Science, Germany, has been assigned a patent (8,338,661) developed by Amber Shirley, Durham, N.C., and Rodrigo Sarria-Millan, West Lafayette, Ind., for a "transgenic plants with increased stress tolerance and yield."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "Polynucleotides are disclosed which are capable of enhancing a growth, yield under water-limited conditions, and/or increased tolerance to an environmental stress of a plant transformed to contain such polynucleotides. Also provided are methods of using such polynucleotides and transgenic plants and agricultural products, including seeds, containing such polynucleotides as transgenes."

The patent application was filed on July 11, 2008 (12/668,665). The full-text of the patent is available online.