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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Joanna Jean Putterill

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

The Flowering Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Interests: flowering time regulation; medicago; Arabidopsis; photoperiod; vernalisation; FT; VRN2; SOC1; FUL

Dr. Erika Varkonyi-Gasic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR) Mt Albert, Auckland Mail Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
Interests: flowering time regulation; dormancy; kiwifruit; Arabidopsis; tobacco; flower yield; winter chilling; SVP; FT; CEN

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The regulation of flowering is essential for the optimal production of seed and fruit. Flowering time and floral yield are the main targets in the breeding and improvement of existing crops and the potential domestication of new crops, aiming to increase yield and deliver sustainable agriculture and increased food security. In this Special Issue, we welcome original research, reviews and opinions covering recent mechanistic advances and applications in the molecular regulation of flowering time and vegetative and floral yield. The topics focus on the following:

The molecular mechanisms underlying the integration of environmental signals and developmental decisions that lead to the transition to flowering and regulate flowering time, vegetative and floral yield in model and crop species.
Targeted domestication and molecular improvement of crops in the context of climate change and food security.

Prof. Joanna Jean Putterill
Dr. Erika Varkonyi-Gasic
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Flowering time
Yield
Temperature
Photoperiod
Rice
Arabidopsis
Strawberry
Cereals
Tree crops
Biofuels
Ornamentals
Legumes
MADS genes
FT /TFL1
Florigen, antiflorigen
Urban farming

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 2119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phylogenomic Analysis of the PEBP Gene Family from Kalanchoë

by Kathryn Kuligowska Mackenzie, Lívia Lopes Coelho, Henrik Lütken and Renate Müller

Agronomy 2019, 9(4), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9040171 - 30 Mar 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3784

Abstract

The PEBP family comprises proteins that function as key regulators of flowering time throughout the plant kingdom and they also regulate growth and plant architecture. Within the PEBP protein family, three subfamilies can be distinguished in angiosperms: MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1-like (MFT), FLOWERING LOCUS T-like (FT-like), and TERMINAL FLOWER1-like (TFL1-like). Taking advantage of the genome sequences available from K. fedtschenkoi and K. laxiflora, we performed computational analysis to identify the members of the PEBP gene family in these species. The analyses revealed the existence of 11 PEBP genes in K. fedtschenkoi and 18 in K. laxiflora, which are clustered in two clades: FT-like and TFL1-like. The PEBP genes had conserved gene structure and the proteins had highly conserved amino acid sequences in the positions crucial for the protein functions. The analysis of Ka/Ks ratio revealed that most recently duplicated genes are under positive selection. Despite being an economically important genus, the genetics underlying the regulation of flowering in Kalanchoë is poorly understood. The results of this study may provide a new insight into the molecular control of flowering that will allow further studies on flowering control in Kalanchoë. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flowering Time Control in Crop Domestication and Improvement)

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17 pages, 3885 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis between Ornamental Apple Species Provides Insights into Mechanism of Double Flowering

by Hera Gul, Zhaoguo Tong, Xiaolei Han, Iqra Nawaz, Safdar Ali Wahocho, Shumaila Khan, Caixia Zhang, Yi Tian, Peihua Cong and Liyi Zhang

Agronomy 2019, 9(3), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9030112 - 26 Feb 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3907

Abstract

Double-flower ornamental crabapples display eye-catching morphologies in comparison to single flower, but the genetic basis of double-flower development is not yet well known in apples. In order to comprehensively understand the differential expression of genes (DEGs) between single and double flower, the transcriptome of double flower crabapples Malus Kelsey, Malus micromalus, Malus Royalty, and a single flower cultivar Malus Dolgo were compared by RNA-sequencing. The results showed that there were 1854 genes in overlapped DEGs among all sample comparisons in apple single and double flower varieties. A large number of development and hormone related DEGs were also recognized on the basis of GO and KEGG annotations, and most of the genes were found to be down-regulated in double flowers. Particularly, an AGL24-MADS-box gene (MD08G1196900) and an auxin responsive gene (MD13G1137000) were putatively key candidate genes in the development of double flower by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The study provides insights into the complex molecular mechanism underlying the development of the double flower in apple. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flowering Time Control in Crop Domestication and Improvement)

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Review

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16 pages, 4632 KiB

Open AccessReview

Long Non-Coding RNAs: Rising Regulators of Plant Reproductive Development

by Tongtong Yu and Hongliang Zhu

Agronomy 2019, 9(2), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9020053 - 26 Jan 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4669

Abstract

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert a multitude of functions in regulating numerous biological processes. Recent studies have uncovered a growing number of lncRNAs within the plant genome. These molecules show striking tissue-specific expression patterns, suggesting that they exert regulatory functions in the growth and development processes of plants. Plant reproductive development is tightly regulated by both environmental and endogenous factors. As plant reproductive development is a crucial aspect of crop breeding, lncRNAs that modulate reproductive development are now particularly worth regarding. Here, we summarize findings that implicate lncRNAs in the control of plant reproductive development, especially in flowering control. Additionally, we elaborate on the regulation mechanisms of lncRNAs, tools for research on their function and mechanism, and potential directions of future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flowering Time Control in Crop Domestication and Improvement)

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