Eucalyptus nitens (Deane & Maiden) Maiden takes at least five years to initiate flower buds from seed and is an infrequent and light flowerer. Because this behavior constitutes a major impediment to breeding programs, we examined the mechanisms controlling floral induction in E. nitens, with the long-term aim of reducing generation time and increasing seed yield. Application of paclobutrazol re...

Flowering and subsequent seed set are not only normal activities in the life of most plants, but constitute the very reason for their existence. Woody bamboos can take a long time to flower, even over 100 years. This makes it difficult to breed bamboo, since flowering time cannot be predicted and passing through each generation takes too long. Another unique characteristic of woody bamboo is th...

In vitro flowering and fruiting were induced in plants regenerated from calli of leaf explants of Lycopersicon esculentum var. Pant 11. MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/l BAP displayed the best response followed by MS with 2 mg/l BAP, 1 mg/ l ABA and 0.5 mg/l IAA. Flower buds were developed both directly from callus and regenerated plantlets from leaf explants under 16 h (39.3 μmol m-2s-1) phot...

All plants flower late in their life cycle. For example, in Arabidopsis, the shoot undergoes a transition and produces reproductive flowers after the adult phase of vegetative growth. Much is known about genetic and environmental processes that control flowering time in mature plants. However, little is understood about the mechanisms that prevent plants from flowering much earlier during embry...

Upon floral induction, the primary shoot meristem of an Arabidopsis plant begins to produce flower meristems rather than leaf primordia on its flanks. Assignment of floral fate to lateral meristems is primarily due to the cooperative activity of the flower meristem identity genes LEAFY (LFY), APETALA1 (AP1), and CAULIFLOWER. We present evidence here that AP1 expression in lateral meristems is a...

The flowering process in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) takes place in buds and extends for two consecutive growing seasons. To understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying this process, we have characterized grapevine bud development, cloned the grapevine FLORICAULA/LEAFY (FLO/LFY) ortholog, VFL, and analyzed its expression patterns during vegetative and reproductive development. Flo...

Cassava is a tropical storage-root crop that serves as a worldwide source of staple food for over 800 million people. Flowering is one of the most important breeding challenges in cassava because in most lines flowering is late and non-synchronized, and flower production is sparse. The FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene is pivotal for floral induction in all examined angiosperms. The objective of the ...

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation causes damage in skin by generating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), leading to skin photoageing. Dandelion extracts have long been used for traditional Chinese medicine and native American medicine to treat cancers, hepatitis, and digestive diseases; however, less is known on the effects of dandelion extract...

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is one of the important species of Hibiscus cultivated for fiber. Availability of homozygous parent lines is prerequisite to the use of the heterosis effect reproducible in hybrid breeding. The production of haploid plants by anther culture followed by chromosome doubling can be achieved in short period compared with inbred lines by conventional method that requir...