The present invention provides methods of selectively controlling lignin
biosynthesis in plants such that lignification is reduced or enhanced, as
desired. The invention provides, for example, a method of reducing
lignification in a vascular plant by ectopically expressing a nucleic acid
molecule encoding an AGL8-like gene product in the plant, whereby
lignification is reduced due to ectopic expression of the nucleic acid
molecule. An AGL8-like gene product useful in the invention can have, for
example, substantially the amino acid sequence of an AGL8 ortholog such as
Arabidopsis AGL8 (SEQ ID NO:2).
