Abstract
The timing of flowering is a well-researched but at the same time incredibly complex process in angiosperms. Although we are in possession of detailed knowledge on the genetic level of flowering time regulation in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, it is often difficult to transfer this knowledge to other plants, like perennial woody plants growing in temperate regions. The main reason for this is a process called bud dormancy, which enables these plants to survive the harsh environmental conditions of winter. Accordingly a certain amount of cold is required for them to flower properly.
As global warming is progressing and winter chill is decreasing, we need compensation strategies to engineer flowering time, the majority of which are centered in plant breeding. An alternative approach is the treatment with compounds that compensate for missing winter chill and advance flowering time. One example is the agrochemical hydrogen cyanamide, which besides its successful application in agriculture constitutes an excellent experimental system to research controlled endodormancy release.
In this project, we treated dormant sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) flower buds with hydrogen cyanamide, resulting in advanced endodormancy release. We further analyzed the broad spectrum of hydrogen cyanamide-induced expression changes using RNA sequencing and the levels of a range of phytohormones using metabolite profiling. Taken together, these results strongly support an activation of three main pathways as a result of hydrogen cyanamide treatment: the jasmonate pathway, the hydrogen cyanide pathway and the cytokinin pathway.
We further analyzed the levels of cyanogenic glucosides and their derivatives during endodormancy and its release in sweet cherry and almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb). Prunasin and its amide coincided with flowering time in both species.
Taken together, these results contribute to elucidating parts of the complex network regulating flowering time in perennial plants.
As global warming is progressing and winter chill is decreasing, we need compensation strategies to engineer flowering time, the majority of which are centered in plant breeding. An alternative approach is the treatment with compounds that compensate for missing winter chill and advance flowering time. One example is the agrochemical hydrogen cyanamide, which besides its successful application in agriculture constitutes an excellent experimental system to research controlled endodormancy release.
In this project, we treated dormant sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) flower buds with hydrogen cyanamide, resulting in advanced endodormancy release. We further analyzed the broad spectrum of hydrogen cyanamide-induced expression changes using RNA sequencing and the levels of a range of phytohormones using metabolite profiling. Taken together, these results strongly support an activation of three main pathways as a result of hydrogen cyanamide treatment: the jasmonate pathway, the hydrogen cyanide pathway and the cytokinin pathway.
We further analyzed the levels of cyanogenic glucosides and their derivatives during endodormancy and its release in sweet cherry and almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb). Prunasin and its amide coincided with flowering time in both species.
Taken together, these results contribute to elucidating parts of the complex network regulating flowering time in perennial plants.
| Original language | English |
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| Publisher | Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen |
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| Number of pages | 146 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |