This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
An intricate network of signaling pathways controls reproductive development in plants. However, the basic mechanisms that have evolved to control signaling pathways, and thus variation in the onset of reproduction across different growing habits, remain unknown. The woody perennial poplar (Populus spp.) has developed a reproduction program that is intertwined with dormancy and spreads over multiple years to complete one cycle. The genes FLOWERING LOCUS T1 and T2 are major players controlling the onset of sexual reproduction in poplar trees. The specific aim of this project is to determine how these and additional genes control reproductive bud formation in poplar, how they interact, and how environmental factors influence them. The specific aim will be addressed via manipulative genetic and physiological experiments coupled with high throughput techniques and computational tools. This project will advance our fundamental understanding of the onset of reproduction in trees and reveal how tree domestication can be accelerated to increase bioenergy production and carbon sequestration.
Education is a strong and an integral component of this project. Students and teachers, including minorities and underrepresented groups, will be involved in the project. Undergraduate students will be trained in genomics by actively contributing to research. Science fairs and training workshops in genomics will be organized for elementary school students and elementary and high school teachers. These integrated educational activities are expected to prepare students as a future work force, encourage them to study science, and increase awareness in the importance of trees, forest products, and the environment.
