The timing of flowering is critical for plant survival, and in agricultural settings proper timing of flowering is critical for maximal yield. In many plant species, flowering occurs at a particular time of year in response to the sensing of seasonal cues such as changes in the length of day and temperature. This project is designed to further our understanding of how the timing of flowering is regulated by environmental cues at a molecular level in the grasses. Despite the fact that grasses include important food crops such as wheat, rice and corn and potential bioenergy crops such as switchgrass, sorghum and miscanthus, little is known about how flowering is regulated at a molecular level in the grasses. This project will employ Brachypodium distachyon as a model because this grass species exhibits a large range of natural variation in flowering behavior that is genetically tractable, and it is straightforward to identify the genes responsible for genetic differences in flowering among different Brachypodium varieties. Understanding achieved by this project has the potential to inform research designed to improve the productivity of food and bioenergy crops. This project will result in the training of graduate students and postdocs for independent careers in science, and will provide undergraduates with an opportunity to learn about research in genetics, molecular biology and plant biology. Students and postdocs working on this project are also encouraged to contribute to our efforts to bring understanding of plant biology into K-12 classrooms.
