Invited review paper A physiological overview on the genetics of flowering time control

Words: 10247 2Summary Physiological studies on flowering time control showed that plants integrate several environmental signals: predictable factors – such as day-length and vernalization- are regarded as 'primary ' but clearly interfere with – or can even be substituted for- by less predictable factors. All plant parts participate in the sensing of these interacting factors. In the case of floral induction by photoperiod, long-distance signalling is known to occur between the leaves and the shoot apical meristem (SAM), via the phloem. In the long-day plant Sinapis alba, this long-distance signalling has been shown to involve the root system too and to include sucrose, nitrate, glutamine, and cytokinins, but not gibberellins. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a number of genetic pathways controlling flowering time have been identified. Models now extend beyond 'primary ' controlling factors and show an ever-increasing number of cross-talks between pathways triggere