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THE PHOTOPERIODIC CONTROL OF FLOWERING: PROGRESS TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM OF INDUCTION
Author(s) -
O'Neill Sharman D.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1992.tb02235.x
Subject(s) - biology , phytochrome , photoperiodism , mechanism (biology) , flower induction , stimulus (psychology) , microbiology and biotechnology , botany , red light , psychology , philosophy , epistemology , psychotherapist
— The mechanism of photoperiodic flower induction remains a major unsolved problem in plant development. Although it is firmly established that phytochrome is the primary photoreceptor in photoperiodic responses including flowering, the intermediate processes of induction including signal transduction, biochemistry of the induced state, and synthesis and identification of the floral stimulus are still obscure. In this review, advances in key areas of research that have contributed to our understanding of photoperiodic flower induction are discussed. These include the role of phytochrome in photoperiodic flowering, physiological characterization of the photoperiodic flowering response, the mechanism of photoperiodic time measurement during induction, and the nature of flower‐promoting and flower‐inhibiting substances. Finally, the role of alterations in gene expression in mediating photoperiodic flower induction is considered along with emerging opportunities for future research that may increase our understanding of the mechanism of flower induction.