Shoot apical meristem articles from across Nature Portfolio

Alique et al. show that poplar trees adjust their seasonal growth timing by finely tuning the daily expression level of the photoperiodic integrator FT2 through a mechanism governed by the circadian clock’s core genes.

Mechanisms underlying changes in inflorescence development in response to high ambient temperature remain unclear. Here, the authors report the cloning of the MIB2, encoding a homology of SPATULA, and its activation of CONSTANS-Like1 for determining tomato inflorescence branching at high ambient temperature.

Many cereal crops have been bred to be more compact to allow high-density planting, but soybean has remained relatively overlooked. Here, the authors describe a compact soybean mutant, reduced internode 1, that significantly enhances grain yield under high-density planting conditions compared to an elite cultivar.

VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3-LIKE 1 regulates intercellular communication during the growth transition after bulb dormancy by epigenetic regulation of callose synthase via the NF-YA7 transcription factor.

Flower formation across thermal environments is critical for efficient reproduction. This study reveals that temperature and the CLAVATA peptide signalling pathway intersect to confer robustness in hormone-dependent reproductive shoot development.

Tiller number is an important agronomic trait of wheat. Here, the authors clone a positive regulator of wheat tiller number and show that the encoded ankyrin repeat protein can promote tiller bud outgrowth through inhibiting ABA biosynthesis and signaling.

A new study reveals that epigenetic mechanism mediates temperature control of callose synthase expression to regulate opening of plasmodesmata and facilitate bud sprouting in lilies.

Maximization of reproductive success is critical for plant fitness. To this end, the flowering process must be finely tuned. We show that the rice florigen-like protein FT-L1 contributes to plant entrance into the reproductive phase and enables a balanced progression of inflorescence development.

Grain yield in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is largely determined by spike architecture. Mutations in DUO-B1, encoding an AP2/ERF protein, result in a spike architecture with extra spikelets that increases both grain number per spike and yield under field conditions. Genetically modifying DUO-B1 has the potential to increase cereal production.

The stem cell niche in plant shoots is maintained by carefully orchestrated feedback between a series of CLAVATA (CLV) receptors and their ligand CLV3, and the transcription factor WUSCHEL. A new clade of co-receptors, CLV3-insensitive receptor kinases (CIKs), provides an important missing link in CLV signalling.