Photo-thermally controlled transcriptional regulation of FT drives the arrest of flowering time in Arabidopsis

Light and temperature are important external signals required by plants for flower initiation. These external signals along with some internal cues (plant age, gibberellins, etc.) are established factors for floral initiation, but the factors required for end-of-flowering time are not yet established. González-Suárez et al. discovered that an increase in day length and higher temperature during flowering promotes floral meristem initiation, which in turn acts as a cue for end-of-flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana. This process was found to be mediated by the expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), an activator of floral development, which increases during flowering and peaks during inflorescence meristem arrest. Understanding the role of FT as an important regulator of end-of-flowering, which precedes fruit set, could help in understanding how global warming would impact end-of-flowering time in crops. (Summary by Idowu Arinola Obisesan @IdowuAobisesan) Plant Physiol.10.1093/plphys/kiad163