Floral induction pathways: Decision making and determination in plants to flower-A comprehensive review

Abstract

Reproductive success in angiosperms has remained dependent on the evolution of elaborate mechanisms that guarantee the flowering to occur at a favorable time. For the occurrence of floral transition at an opportune time, these regulatory mechanisms integrate varied environmental cues with the endogenous physiological ones. For understanding the underlying mechanisms of floral transition, genetic models have been developed based on the physiological studies carried on in the last century and the current molecular studies. Physiological experiments have been performed with diverse species, whereas studies mostly on Arabidopsis thaliana, a little flowering plant, have led to the development of current genetic models. This review will focus on the four-floral inductive pathways which operate in Arabidopsis: Photoperiodic, autonomous, gibberellin promotion, and vernalization pathways and how in this network of pathways, different nodes signify a site of signal integration and how the pathways are integrated, leading to a co-ordinated initiation of flowering.