Shoot & Branching Pattern
Control of Plant Shape and Form
One of the hallmarks of biology of plants is the non-uniformity of size and aerial form between different individuals of given species. Unlike animals, which have a fixed body plan and undergo developmental transitions in a relatively invariant manner, plants exhibit a greater degree of plasticity in growth and are able to adjust their growth pattern and the timing of developmental transitions, such as flowering and fruit setting, in response the local environment. Mendel has identified substantial sets of transcription factors which control these growth responses and we are applying them to crop plants to create a more optimal growth pattern. Since plants typically compete for light with nearby vegetation, they have evolved powerful mechanisms for growing towards gaps in the canopy and thereby avoid shading by neighbors. This often takes the form of rapid and spindly extension growth at the expense of formation of productive green biomass. Importantly, in a field situation, such shade avoidance responses often occur before competition for light actually becomes limiting; this reduces the yield in row crops because the individual plants transfer energy reserves into responses such as stem elongation rather than seed production. Mendel has identified a number of gene networks that control these so-called shade avoidance responses and we are applying this knowledge to develop crop strains with a more economical growth habit.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น