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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413267
Research Project: Superior Fruit Tree Cultivars for Orchard Resilience, Sustainability, and Consumer Appeal

Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection

Title: Regulatory frameworks involved in the floral induction, formation and developmental programming of woody horticultural plants: a case study on blueberries

Author
item SONG, GUO-QING - Michigan State University
item Liu, Zongrang
item Zhong, Gan-Yuan

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2024
Publication Date: 2/12/2024
Citation: Song, G., Liu, Z., Zhong, G. 2024. Regulatory frameworks involved in the floral induction, formation and developmental programming of woody horticultural plants: a case study on blueberries. Frontiers in Plant Science. 15:1336892. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1336892.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1336892

Interpretive Summary: In temperate regions, spring frost is a major problem, which is further exacerbated by global warming. Developing late-flowering cultivars to avoid spring frost is therefore an effective method of protecting flowers from frost damage. A lack of specific genes, traits, and an understanding of underlying mechanisms makes breeding such cultivars challenging. This review examines the knowledge generated from model species and fruit plants in detail, aiming to provide fruit researchers with comprehensive information on the latest research. With the help of various technologies, including conventional breeding, gene editing, and transgenic techniques, breeders can develop new cultivars with late-flowering traits that can remedy spring frost damage to fruit production.

Technical Abstract: Flowering stands as a pivotal process within the life cycles of plants. Ensuring robust flowering proves indispensable for sustaining crop production amidst the challenges posed by climate change. The though investigation into the genetic regulation of flowering time, encompassing both model and annual plants, has been a subject of intense scrutiny and interest. The realm of woody horticultural plants has witnessed substantial endeavors aimed at unraveling their flowering intricacies through genetic, genomic, physiological, and biochemical studies. Given the looming influence of global warming on plant flowering patterns and subsequent fruit yield, our focus rests on a comprehensive evaluation of recent strides in comprehending the genetic orchestration of floral initiation and activation in woody horticultural species. The objective of our undertaking is to mitigate these repercussions and safeguard fruit production. Within this assessment, we consolidate findings from diverse sources concerning the functional dissection of genes engaged in flowering pathways across various plant types. Drawing upon the example of the blueberry, we accentuate the central roles played by key flowering pathway genes: FLOWERING LOCUS T and SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1, which govern floral initiation and activation (dormancy release), respectively. Through this survey, we offer insights into the potential molecular mechanisms governing woody plants, thereby paving the way for fortifying the resilience and productivity of fruit-bearing crops in the face of evolving climatic conditions, all through the perspective of genetic interventions.