In angiosperms, regulation of flowering is a vital process for successful reproduction. To date, the molecular mechanism of flowering is well-studied in the model plant, Arabidopsis, in which key genes such as FLOWERING LOCUST (FT) or FD have been identified to regulate flowering. However, the flowering mechanisms are still largely unknown in fruit trees like loquat. To this end, we first clone...

The present investigation demonstrates Couroupita guianensis flower buds extract mediated synthesis of stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Instant formation of AgNPs was primarily confirmed by the appearance of yellowish brown colour and characteristic silver SPR band in the UV-visible spectrum. Elemental and crystalline natures of the AgNPs were identified from EDX and XRD pattern, respective...

Environmental factors affecting flower development may limit the yields of fruiting crops worldwide. In temperate regions, chilling temperatures during flower development can compromise fruit production, but their negative effects vary depending on the differing susceptibilities of each developmental stage. The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria× ananassa Duch.) is widely grown worldwide but finan...

In Nicotiana tabacum, female gametophytes are not fully developed at anthesis, but flower buds pollinated 12 h before anthesis produce mature embryo sacs. We investigated several pollination-associated parameters in N. tabacum flower buds to determine the developmental timing of important events in preparation for successful fertilization. First, we performed hand pollinations in flowers from s...

Jatropha curcas is a promising feedstock for biofuel production because Jatropha oil is highly suitable for the production of biodiesel and bio-jet fuels. However, Jatropha exhibits a low seed yield as a result of unreliable and poor flowering. APETALA1 (AP1) is a floral meristem and organ identity gene in higher plants. The flower meristem identity genes of Jatropha have not yet been identifie...

Differential thermal analysis detected two freezing events when dormant forsythia (Forsythia viridissima Lindl.) flower buds were cooled. The first occurred just below 0 degrees C, and was coincident with the freezing of adjacent woody tissues. The second exotherm appeared as a spike between -10 and -25 degrees C and was correlated with the lethal low temperature. Although this pattern of freez...

close-up, the flower buds of the weed Arabidopsis thaliana appear almost animal-like. The scanning electron micrographs above show a whole inflorescence (top right) and two individual flower buds in detail. The bud of a Columbia wild-type plant shown at bottom right has an oval shape and is tightly closed — as buds normally remain until the anther matures inside. By contrast, the bud on the lef...