scholarly journals Natural variation in the control of flowering and shoot architecture in diploid Fragaria species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangxun Fan ◽  
Javier Andres ◽  
Klaus Olbricht ◽  
Elli Koskela ◽  
Timo Hytonen
Keyword(s):  
Late Summer ◽  
Expression Level ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Cool Temperature ◽  
Axillary Shoots ◽  
Shoot Architecture ◽  
Crown Formation ◽  
Branch Crown ◽  
Short Days ◽  
Fragaria Species

In perennial fruit and berry crops of the Rosaceae family, flower initiation occurs in late summer or autumn after downregulation of a strong repressor TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) and flowering and fruiting takes place the following growing season. Rosaceous fruit trees typically form two types of axillary shoots, short flower-bearing shoots called spurs and long shoots that are respectively analogous to branch crowns and stolons in strawberry. However, regulation of flowering and shoot architecture differs between species and environmental and endogenous controlling mechanisms have just started to emerge. In woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.), long days maintain vegetative meristems and promote stolon formation by activating TFL1 and GIBBERELLIN 20-OXIDASE4 (GA20ox4), respectively, while silencing of these factors by short days and cool temperatures induces flowering and branch crown formation. We characterized flowering responses of 14 accessions of seven diploid Fragaria species native to diverse habitats in the northern hemisphere, and selected two species with contrasting environmental responses, F. bucharica Losinsk. and F. nilgerrensis Schlecht. ex J. Gay for detailed studies together with F. vesca. Similar to F. vesca, F. bucharica was induced to flower in short days at 18°C and regardless of photoperiod at 11°C after silencing of TFL1. F. nilgerrensis maintained higher TFL1 expression level and likely required cooler temperatures or longer exposure to inductive treatments to flower. We also found that high expression of GA20ox4 was associated with stolon formation in all three species, and its downregulation by short days and cool temperature caused branch crown formation in F. vesca and F. nilgerrensis, although the latter did not flower. F. bucharica, in contrast, rarely formed branch crowns, regardless of flowering or GA20ox4 expression level. Our findings highlighted diploid Fragaria species as a rich source of genetic variation controlling flowering and plant architecture, with potential applications in breeding of Rosaceous crops.

LEAFY expression and flower initiation in Arabidopsis

Development ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 124 (19) ◽  
pp. 3835-3844 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Blazquez ◽  
L.N. Soowal ◽  
I. Lee ◽  
D. Weigel
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Floral Induction ◽  
Shoot Meristem ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Gradual Change ◽  
Vegetative Phase ◽  
Flower Meristem ◽  
Reproductive Phase ◽  
Plant Life Cycle ◽  
Short Days

During the initial vegetative phase, the Arabidopsis shoot meristem produces leaves with associated lateral shoots at its flanks, while the later reproductive phase is characterized by the formation of flowers. The LEAFY gene is an important element of the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase, as LEAFY is both necessary and sufficient for the initiation of individual flowers. We have analyzed in detail the expression of LEAFY during the plant life cycle, and found that LEAFY is extensively expressed during the vegetative phase. In long days, Arabidopsis plants flower soon after germination, and this is paralleled by rapid upregulation of LEAFY. In short days, Arabidopsis plants flower several weeks later than in long days, but LEAFY expression increases gradually before flowering commences. Application of the plant hormone gibberellin, which hastens flowering in short days, enhances the gradual change in LEAFY expression observed in short days. Changes in LEAFY expression before the transition to flowering suggest that the time point of this transition is at least partly controlled by the levels of LEAFY activity that are prevalent at a given time of the life cycle. This assumption is borne out by the finding that increasing the copy number of endogenous LEAFY reduces the number of leaves produced before the first flower is formed. Thus, LEAFY combines properties of flowering-time and flower-meristem-identity genes, indicating that LEAFY is a direct link between the global process of floral induction and the regional events associated with the initiation of individual flowers.

scholarly journals Floral Induction in the Short-Day Plant Chrysanthemum Under Blue and Red Extended Long-Days

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malleshaiah SharathKumar ◽  
Ep Heuvelink ◽  
Leo F. M. Marcelis ◽  
Wim van Ieperen
Keyword(s):  
Blue Light ◽  
Floral Induction ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Solar Light ◽  
Growth Chamber ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Led Light ◽  
Short Day ◽  
Short Days

Shorter photoperiod and lower daily light integral (DLI) limit the winter greenhouse production. Extending the photoperiod by supplemental light increases biomass production but inhibits flowering in short-day plants such as Chrysanthemum morifolium. Previously, we reported that flowering in growth-chamber grown chrysanthemum with red (R) and blue (B) LED-light could also be induced in long photoperiods by applying only blue light during the last 4h of 15h long-days. This study investigates the possibility to induce flowering by extending short-days in greenhouses with 4h of blue light. Furthermore, flower induction after 4h of red light extension was tested after short-days RB-LED light in a growth-chamber and after natural solar light in a greenhouse. Plants were grown at 11h of sole source RB light (60:40) in a growth-chamber or solar light in the greenhouse (short-days). Additionally, plants were grown under long-days, which either consisted of short-days as described above extended with 4h of B or R light to long-days or of 15h continuous RB light or natural solar light. Flower initiation and normal capitulum development occurred in the blue-extended long-days in the growth-chamber after 11h of sole source RB, similarly as in short-days. However, when the blue extension was applied after 11h of full-spectrum solar light in a greenhouse, no flower initiation occurred. With red-extended long-days after 11h RB (growth-chamber) flower initiation occurred, but capitulum development was hindered. No flower initiation occurred in red-extended long-days in the greenhouse. These results indicate that multiple components of the daylight spectrum influence different phases in photoperiodic flowering in chrysanthemum in a time-dependent manner. This research shows that smart use of LED-light can open avenues for a more efficient year-round cultivation of chrysanthemum by circumventing the short-day requirement for flowering when applied in emerging vertical farm or plant factories that operate without natural solar light. In current year-round greenhouses’ production, however, extension of the natural solar light during the first 11 h of the photoperiod with either red or blue sole LED light, did inhibit flowering.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF PHOTOPERIOD ON FLOWER INITIATION OF COFFEE

HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1071a-1071
Author(s):  
Ursula K. Schuch ◽  
Leslie H. Fuchigami ◽  
Mike A. Nagzao
Keyword(s):  
Coffea Arabica ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Floral Initiation ◽  
Flower Buds ◽  
Incandescent Light ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Chamber Study ◽  
Coffee Plants ◽  
Short Days

Floral initiation in coffee has been shown to be stimulated by short days in young plants, but the inductive stimulus for mature plants is still not clear. Experiments were conducted to determine whether floral initiation in immature and mature plants is promoted by short photoperiods, and delayed by long photoperiods. In a growth chamber study, 18-month-old coffee (Coffea arabica L. cv. Guatemalan) plants exposed to 8 hr photoperiods developed flower buds after 4 weeks, whereas no floral initiation was observed on the plants exposed to 16 hr photoperiods for ten weeks. Trees growing in the field were illuminated with incandescent light from midnight to 3:00 a.m. from July to December 1989. The control plants received no artificial light during the same time period. Night light interruption delayed flower initiation until the end of December on branches that were fully exposed to the light. On control trees, flower buds started to emerge at the beginning of November. These results indicate that in immature and mature coffee plants floral initiation is stimulated by short days, and delayed by long days.

scholarly journals Characterization of Floral Initiation and Development in Hydrangea macrophylla Cultivars Varying in Re-blooming Capacity

HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 895A-895
Author(s):  
Warner Orozco-Obando* ◽  
Hazel Y. Wetzstein
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Floral Induction ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Great Expectation ◽  
Fundamental Information ◽  
Terminal Buds ◽  
Outdoor Nursery

Recently, the release of Hydrangea cultivars with the capacity to produce a second flush of blooms has created a great expectation in the ornamental industry. However, the lack of fundamental information on flower development of big leaf Hydrangea does not allow a descriptive explanation of why re-blooming capacity occurs. The objectives of this study were to characterize the timing and location of flower initiation and development in several H. macrophylla cultivars throughout an annual cycle. Four cultivars were evaluated: 2 exhibiting re-flowering capacity (Penny Mac-PM and Endless Summer-ES) and 2 without (Madame Emile Mouillere-MEM and Nikko Blue-NB). Plants were managed under outdoor nursery conditions and harvested at each of four different time periods. These periods represented key developmental stages: 1) Pre-induction: late summer, after completion of shoot expansion; 2) Post-induction: late fall, following short day and cold temperature exposure; 3) Dormancy: winter, post leaf abscission; and 4) Post-dormancy: early spring, just prior to bud break. At each sampling time, bud location (terminal or lateral) and stem origin (basal, lateral, terminal, or secondary) were established. All buds >;2 mm were dissected under a stereomicroscope and the degree of floral induction was determined. Floral primordial were initiated not only in the terminal buds but also within axillary buds. The degree of induction and development varied according to the stem origin, bud location and cultivar. Cultivars with re-blooming capacity had floral primordial initiated within buds at the first sampling period prior to receiving inductive conditions. This suggests they may have minimal or no photoperiodic/temp requirements for flowering.

scholarly journals Using Paclobutrazol to Control Height of Poinsettia `Freedom'

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genhua Niu ◽  
Royal Heins ◽  
Will Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Height ◽  
Stem Elongation ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Euphorbia Pulcherrima ◽  
Application Time ◽  
Growth Retardants ◽  
Height Control ◽  
Area Reduction ◽  
Crop Development ◽  
Short Days

Late-season height control of poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is difficult since most chemical growth retardants adversely reduce bract size when applied after first bract color. Paclobutrazol (Bonzi) controls stem elongation late in poinsettia crop development but can excessively reduce bract size if improperly applied. Two experiments were conducted to quantify how paclobutrazol application influenced height and bract area of `Freedom' poinsettia. In the first experiment, paclobutrazol was applied at 1 mg·L-1 (ppm) in 118-mL (4.0-fl oz) volumes per pot [(a.i.) 0.12 mg/pot (28,350 mg = 1.0 oz)] as a drench to a new group of plants weekly from the initiation of short days until 1 week before anthesis. Maximum reduction in height and bract area was obtained when paclobutrazol was applied immediately after short days, and the response to paclobutrazol decreased as application time was increasingly delayed toward anthesis. In the second experiment, paclobutrazol was applied weekly after first bract color as either a drench or subapplication at various concentrations. Plant height and bract area were reduced by 23% when 2 mg·L-1 [(a.i.) 0.24 mg/pot) paclobutrazol was applied through subapplication at first color. The effects of paclobutrazol on height and bract area reduction decreased as application time was progressively delayed. Concentrations lower than 1 mg·L-1 had no significant effect on height or bract area reduction, regardless of application time or method. Generally, the reduction in height and bract area was larger when paclobutrazol was applied through subapplication. The combined results from both experiments indicate that paclobutrazol drench applications after flower initiation concomitantly reduce plant height (internode extension) and bract area. Therefore, drench applications should be delayed as long as possible to limit reduction in bract size.

Flower initiation in Trifolium subterraneum L. II. Limitations by vernalization, low temperatures, and photoperiod, in the field at Canberra

1959 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
FHW Morley ◽  
LT Evans
Keyword(s):  
High Temperatures ◽  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Low Field ◽  
The Times ◽  
Short Days

At various times throughout the winter, autumn-sown plants of five strains of subterranean clover were removed from the field to a series of day length and temperature treatments. The times to inflorescence initiation in all treatments were determined by dissection. As vernalization proceeded the requirement of all strains for long days was progressively reduced until, by midwinter, several strains had become virtually independent of day length. Similarly, with the progress of vernalization the inhibitory effects of high temperatures during short days became progressively less marked. Whereas exposure to long days at high temperatures greatly accelerated inflorescence initiation in all strains, long days at low field temperatures had little effect. Evidence is presented which suggests that the limiting effect of very low temperatures on initiation is due not only to retardation of the rate of inflorescence primordium formation (realization), but also to limitation of an inductive process other than vernalization and dark period inhibition. The flowering behaviour of the various strains is discussed in terms of their responses to the partial processes leading to inflorescence initiation, and the interrelationships of these processes are considered.

scholarly journals Photoperiod, Irradiance, and Temperature Affect Echinopsis ‘Rose Quartz’ Flowering

HortScience ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 1494-1497
Author(s):  
John Erwin ◽  
Rene O’Connell ◽  
Ken Altman
Keyword(s):  
Flower Development ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Cool Temperature ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Spray Application ◽  
Night Temperature ◽  
Flower Number ◽  
Production Time ◽  
Supplemental Lighting ◽  
Short Days

Photoperiod, irradiance, cool temperature (5 °C), and benzyladenine (BA) application effects on Echinopsis ‘Rose Quartz’ flowering were examined. Plants were placed in a 5 °C greenhouse under natural daylight (DL) for 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks, then moved to a 22/18 °C (day/night temperature) greenhouse under short days (SD, 8-hour DL) plus 0, 25, 45, or 75 μmol·m−2·s−1 supplemental lighting (0800–1600 hr; 8-hour photoperiod), long days (LD) delivered with DL plus night-interruption lighting (NI) (2200–0200 hr), or DL plus 25, 45, or 75 μmol·m−2·s−1 supplemental lighting (0800–0200 hr) for 6 weeks. Plants were then grown under DL only. Percent flowering plants increased as irradiance increased from 0–25 to +75 μmol·m−2·s−1 on uncooled plants, from 0% to 100% as 5 °C exposure increased from 0 to 8 weeks under subsequent SD and from 25% to 100% as 5 °C exposure increased from 0 to 4 weeks under subsequent LD. As 5 °C exposure duration increased from 0 to 12 weeks (SD-grown) and from 0 to 8 weeks (LD-grown), flower number increased from 0 to 11 and from 5 to 21 flowers per plant across irradiance treatments, respectively. Total production time ranged from 123 to 147 days on plants cooled from 8 to 12 weeks (SD-grown) and from 52 to 94 days on plants cooled for 0–4 weeks to 119–153 days on plants cooled for 8–12 weeks (LD-grown). Flower life varied from 1 to 3 days. BA spray application (10–40 mg·L−1) once or twice after a 12-week 5 °C exposure reduced flower number. Flower development was not photoperiodic. High flower number (17–21 flowers/plant) and short production time (including cooling time, 120–122 days) occurred when plants were grown at 5 °C for 8 weeks, then grown under LD + 45–75 μmol·m−2·s−1 for 6 weeks (16 hours; 10.9–12.8 mol·m−2·d−1) at a 22/18 °C day/night temperature. Taken together, Echinopsis ‘Rose Quartz’ exhibited a facultative cool temperature and facultative LD requirement for flowering.

scholarly journals A novel hypothesis for the adaptive maintenance of environmental sex determination in a turtle

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1789) ◽  
pp. 20140831 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.-J. Spencer ◽  
F. J. Janzen
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Physiological Adaptation ◽  
Cool Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Natal Nest ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Single Sex

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is widespread in reptiles, yet its adaptive significance and mechanisms for its maintenance remain obscure and controversial. Comparative analyses identify an ancient origin of TSD in turtles, crocodiles and tuatara, suggesting that this trait should be advantageous in order to persist. Based on this assumption, researchers primarily, and with minimal success, have employed a model to examine sex-specific variation in hatchling phenotypes and fitness generated by different incubation conditions. The unwavering focus on different incubation conditions may be misplaced at least in the many turtle species in which hatchlings overwinter in the natal nest. If overwintering temperatures differentially affect fitness of male and female hatchlings, TSD might be maintained adaptively by enabling embryos to develop as the sex best suited to those overwintering conditions. We test this novel hypothesis using the painted turtle ( Chrysemys picta ), a species with TSD in which eggs hatch in late summer and hatchlings remain within nests until the following spring. We used a split-clutch design to expose field-incubated hatchlings to warm and cool overwintering (autumn–winter–spring) regimes in the laboratory and measured metabolic rates, energy use, body size and mortality of male and female hatchlings. While overall mortality rates were low, males exposed to warmer overwintering regimes had significantly higher metabolic rates and used more residual yolk than females, whereas the reverse occurred in the cool temperature regime. Hatchlings from mixed-sex nests exhibited similar sex-specific trends and, crucially, they were less energy efficient and grew less than same-sex hatchlings that originated from single-sex clutches. Such sex- and incubation-specific physiological adaptation to winter temperatures may enhance fitness and even extend the northern range of many species that overwinter terrestrially.

scholarly journals Prohexadione-calcium Decreases Fall Runners and Advances Branch Crowns of `Chandler' Strawberry in a Cold-climate Annual Production System

2004 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent L. Black
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Foliar Spray ◽  
Plant Morphology ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Gibberellin Biosynthesis ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Nursery Plant ◽  
Crown Formation ◽  
Prohexadione Calcium ◽  
Branch Crown

Balancing vegetative growth with fruiting is a primary concern in strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) production. Where nursery plant selection and preconditioning are inadequate for runner control, additional approaches are needed. The gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor prohexadione-Ca (commercial formulation Apogee) was tested over two seasons for suppressing fall runners of `Chandler' plug plants in a cold-climate annual hill production system. Prohexadione-Ca was applied as a foliar spray at active ingredient concentrations ranging from 60 to 480 mg·L-1, either as a single application 1 week after planting, or repeated at 3-week intervals. The lowest rate resulted in inadequate runner control, with some runners producing malformed daughter plants. Higher rates resulted in 57% to 93% reductions in fall runner numbers, with a concomitant increase in fall branch crown formation. There were no effects of the prohexadione-Ca treatments on plant morphology the following spring, and no adverse effects on fruit characteristics or yield. Chemical names used: prohexadione-calcium, calcium 3-oxido-4-propionyl-5-oxo-3-cyclohexene-carboxylate.

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