Environmental And Molecular Control Of Bud Dormancy And Bud Break In Woody Perennials An Integrative Approach

This Research Topic addresses research in genomics and biotechnology to improve the growth and quality of forest trees for wood, pulp, biorefineries and carbon capture. Forests are the world’s greatest repository of terrestrial biomass and biodiversity. Forests serve critical ecological services, supporting the preservation of fauna and flora, and water resources. Planted forests also offer a renewable source of timber, for pulp and paper production, and the biorefinery. Despite their fundamental role for society, thousands of hectares of forests are lost annually due to deforestation, pests, pathogens and urban development. As a consequence, there is an increasing need to develop trees that are more productive under lower inputs, while understanding how they adapt to the environment and respond to biotic and abiotic stress. Forest genomics and biotechnology, disciplines that study the genetic composition of trees and the methods required to modify them, began over a quarter of a century ago with the development of the first genetic maps and establishment of early methods of genetic transformation. Since then, genomics and biotechnology have impacted all research areas of forestry. Genome analyses of tree populations have uncovered genes involved in adaptation and response to biotic and abiotic stress. Genes that regulate growth and development have been identified, and in many cases their mechanisms of action have been described. Genetic transformation is now widely used to understand the roles of genes and to develop germplasm that is more suitable for commercial tree plantations. However, in contrast to many annual crops that have benefited from centuries of domestication and extensive genomic and biotechnology research, in forestry the field is still in its infancy. Thus, tremendous opportunities remain unexplored. This Research Topic aims to briefly summarize recent findings, to discuss long-term goals and to think ahead about future developments and how this can be applied to improve growth and quality of forest trees.

Resource added for the Landscape Horticulture Technician program 100014.

​Plant dormancy involves synchronization of environmental cues with developmental processes to ensure plant survival; however, negative impacts of plant dormancy include pre-harvest sprouting, non-uniform germination of crop and weed seeds, and fruit loss due to inappropriate bud break. Thus, our continued quest to disseminate information is important in moving our understanding of plant dormancy forward and to develop new ideas for improving food, feed, and fiber production and efficient weed control, particularly under global climate change. Proceeding from the 5th International Plant Dormancy Symposium will provide an overview related on our current understanding of how environmental factors impact cellular, molecular, and physiological processes involved in bud and seed dormancy, and perspectives and/or reviews on achievements, which should stimulate new ideas and lines of investigation that increase our understanding of plant dormancy and highlight directions for future research. ​

Seed dormancy systems and concepts; Bud dormancy systems and concepts;Physiology/temperature, light, stress; Biochemistry; Molecular biology; Dormancy modeling.

The plant hormone auxin plays a fundamental role in the growth and development of plants. Researchers from across the globe are currently attempting to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which auxin controls such diverse processes as cell division, cell elongation, and differentiation. Research questions on auxin action are being addressed using state-of-the-art techniques that are available to cell biologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, biochemists, and physiologists. This text highlights many of the major topics that were covered in a recent workshop that was specifically focused on research into the mechanisms of auxin action. The articles in this text give a current update of the research findings on auxin biosynthesis, metabolism and transport; evolutionary patterns; auxin perception, signal transduction and physiology; auxin-regulated gene expression and protein degradation pathway in auxin responses; and cross-talk between auxin and other plant signalling pathways.