Gene blocking lettuce germination also regulates flowering time
Monday, March 28, 2016 - 23:20
in Biology & Nature
Kent Bradford, left, and Alfred Huo, seen here with a flowering lettuce plant, found that lettuce could be prevented from flowering by increasing the expression of a specific microRNA Like most annuals, lettuce plants live out their lives in quiet, three-act dramas that follow the seasons. Seed dormancy gives way to germination; the young plant emerges and grows; and finally in the climax of flowering, a new generation of seeds is produced. It's remarkably predictable, but the genetics that coordinates these changes with environmental cues has not been well understood.