RUI: The molecular basis of ethylene regulation of photoperiodic floral induction in plants

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As organisms permanently attached to one location in the ground, plants have developed mechanisms to sense environmental conditions and respond appropriately. For example, many plants use photoperiod, or the relative length of light and dark periods in a 24-hour day, to determine whether impending environmental conditions are favorable and thus regulate the onset of flowering. The molecular mechanisms by which photoperiod regulates the onset of flowering in plants are not fully understood. This project uses Japanese morning glory plants to investigate whether the plant hormone ethylene is involved in regulating plant flowering time in response to photoperiod. Ethylene has well-established roles in many developmental processes in plants, including fruit ripening and leaf senescence, but its role in photoperiodic flowering is unclear. Molecular biology techniques will be applied to determining whether the expression of various flowering genes in Japanese morning glory is reduced when ethylene biosynthesis or ethylene signaling in the plants is disrupted. The research will fill in a major gap in our knowledge of plant flowering, while at the same time provide training in biological research to numerous undergraduate students at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution in rural Vermont. Finally, the research will impact agriculture as most crop plants are annual plants, and determining when to flower is critical for their reproductive success.