Florogenesis

Flowering is one of the most fascinating, yet complicated, processes in nature, ensuring seed production and species persistence. The process involves a variety of physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms regulating the proper timing and correct development of the reproductive organs. Over the last few decades, the genetic and molecular mechanisms of-owering have been studied by analyzing genetic variation in model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Antirrhinum majus (Boss et al. 2004; Sung and Amasino 2004; Amasino 2010; Irish 2010; Rijpkema et al. 2010; Wellmer and Riechmann 2010). These studies have led to the identification of components within individual signaling pathways that affect-owering and their positioning within molecular hierarchies. Furthermore, distinct signaling pathways have been shown to converge on activation of the same-owering-time genes (Mouradov et al. 2002; Wellmer and Riechmann 2010). A genetic survey of-owering mutants defined the inductive photoperiod, extended exposure to cold, and gibberellins (GAs) as major factors promoting-owering in Arabidopsis (Koornneef et al. 1991). Further studies identified the effects of light quality, ambient temperature, stress, and other phytohormones on-owering-time regulation (Domagalska et al. 2010).