Co-ordinated responses to endogenous and environmental triggers allow a well-timed floral transition in plants

• Published in: Plant biotechnology reports Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 145 - 159
• Main Authors: Kaur, Chetan, Lim, Yong Pyo, Lee, Geung-Joo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01.04.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal reproduction; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Breeding success; Cell Biology; Environmental factors; Flowering; Flowers; Genetic structure; Life cycles; Life Sciences; Nutrients; Physiological effects; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Sciences; Plant species; Plants (botany); Primordia; Reproduction; Review; Seasonal variations; Species; Flowering; Flowering control; Environmental factors; Endogenous; Signalling mechanisms; Floral transition
• ISSN: 1863-5466; 1863-5474
• DOI: 10.1007/s11816-021-00731-z

The initiation of flowering is a crucial event in the life cycle of plants. Flowering marks the transition of the plant from its vegetative to reproductive state. Flowers are shoot modifications derived from flower primordia, as a means of reproduction and securing seed production adopted by plants to transmit their genomic information across generations for the survival of the species. Floral transition is a consequence of the interplay between endogenous factors such as plant genetic structure, and exogenous factors such as photoperiod, temperature, and nutrients. The generic mechanism of flowering initiation is evolutionarily conserved across plant families. In addition, it is highly dependent on the genetic and physiological characteristics of individual species, in coordination with the surrounding environmental factors. Therefore, flowering control is extremely adaptable to seasonal changes, ensuring the reproductive success of the plant species. The genes involved in flowering control maintain a delicate balance orchestrated by different signalling mechanisms in response to the environmental cues. In this study, various mechanisms related to flowering are collectively demonstrated in terms of endogenous genetic cues responding to natural exogenous triggers and artificial inducers, including environmental factors and phytohormones, respectively.