Researchers have identified the genetic changes linked to why plants undergo a developmental change similar to “puberty” at different rates, a discovery that could lead to better crop nutrition.
This developmental change, called the vegetative-to-reproductive transition, occurs over the course of a few days, during which they slow their leaf growth and develop reproductive organs instead.
This dramatic physical change is very important to farmers and consumers because it initiates the process of diverting nutrients in the leaves to the plant’s reproductive organs and ultimately to the fruits and grains. Well-timed plant development means more nutritious food.
Farmers have tried to breed crops as uniformly as possible, but despite their efforts, puberty, like humans, occurs at different ages in different individual plants.
To investigate the factors that influence the timing of this transition, researchers at the University of York grew Arabidopsis thaliana — a type of wild mustard most similar to Brassica crops such as cabbage and broccoli — in conditions where soil, temperature, humidity and light were as consistent as possible.
Researchers chose this strain because it has been inbred for generations to create a nearly genetically identical seed pool.
Even under these highly controlled conditions, the plants began to show signs of the developmental transition on different days. When about half of the plants had undergone the transition, the scientists measured the genetic activity of all the plants.
Although the plants were the same chronological age, they were at different points along the path of plant ‘puberty’. The researchers identified specific genetic changes that correlated with the timing of this developmental change.
They also discovered that plants begin the process of killing their leaves before the scientists saw visible reproductive structures.
Lead author of the study, Dr Daphne Ezer from the Department of Biology, said: ‘In some ways, plant and human growth are very similar: everyone experiences it in their own unique way.
“Our study revealed specific genetic changes that could determine the timing of plant developmental transition, paving the way for future improvements in crop uniformity and quality.”
“Remarkably, we also found that plants begin to divert nutrients from their leaves to their flowering structures earlier than we expected. To increase the nutritional value of crops, farmers may need to pay attention to these hidden processes that occur long before there are any visible signs .” of the transition from vegetative to reproductive.”
