Flowering Mechanisms and Environmental Stimuli for Flower Transition: Bases for Production Scheduling in Greenhouse Floriculture

Abstract

The scheduling of plant production is a critical aspect in modern floriculture since nowadays, sales are not oriented toward the recurring holidays as in the past, but always more toward impulse buying, implying a more diverse and constant demand on the market. This requires continuous production, often regulated by precise commercial agreements between growers and buyers, and between buyers and dealers, particularly in large-scale retail trade. In this scenario, diverse techniques to modulate the duration of the growing cycle, by hastening or slowing down plant growth and development, have been developed to match plant flowering to the market demand. Among the numerous approaches, the manipulation of climatic parameters in the growth environment is one of the most common in greenhouse floriculture. In this review, we summarize the physiological and biochemical bases underlying the main mechanisms of flowering, depending on the plant reaction to endogenous signals or environmental stimuli. In addition, the strategies based on the control of temperature (before or after planting) and light environment (as light intensity and spectrum, and the photoperiod) in the scheduling of flower and ornamental crop production are briefly described.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Homeodomain Leucine Zipper Subfamily IV (HD-ZIP IV) Gene Family in Cannabis sativa L.

“…Flower yield is vital in the cannabis industry [ 55 ]. Environmental cues and endogenous signals affect and determine the expression of genes associated with the initiation and development of floral organs [ 56 ]. One of the well-known classes of plant hormones, the brassinosteroids (BRs), also regulates multiple aspects of plant development, and recent evidence suggests that BRs stimulate flowering by reducing transcript levels of a potent floral repressor [ 57 , 58 ].…”

In silico genome-wide analysis of homeodomain-leucine zipper transcription factors in Cannabis sativa L

“…These are synthesized under the catalysis of THCA synthase and CBDA synthase, respectively, and are gradually decarboxylated into THC and CBD upon drying [ 35 ]. Hormones are important endogenous growth regulators in plants and are trace signaling molecules that have a non-negligible effect on plant growth, development, and the associated gene expression [ [36] , [37] , [38] ]. Different concentrations of exogenous hormones affect various plant tissues and regulate the endogenous hormone levels, which in turn regulate plant growth and development [ 39 ].…”

The Influence of the Partitioning of Sugars, Starch, and Free Proline in Various Organs of Cyclamen graecum on the Biology of the Species and Its Resistance to Abiotic Stressors

“…Thereafter, leaves grow and accumulate metabolic reserves throughout the wet and cool season, until the dormancy period, which begins in late spring. In geophytes, long days can initiate the transition to bud dormancy [47,48]. The summer dormancy protects plants from negative effects of water shortage and elevated temperatures on vegetative and reproductive organs, and forces their active development in a more favorable season.…”