Flower heterochrony and crop yield

STRELIN, M. M.; DIGGLE, P. K.; AIZEN, M.A.

TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE.

ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON

Año: 2023 vol. 28 p. 1360 - 1369

1360-1385

Crop improvement has focused on enhancing yield, nutrient content, harvestability, and stress resistance using a trait-centered reductionist approach. This has downplayed the fact that plants are developmentally integrated and respond coor-dinately and predictably to genetic and environmental variation, with potential con-sequences for food production. Crop yield, including both fruit/seed production and the possibility of generating hybrid crop varieties, is highly dependent on flower morphology and sex, which, in turn, can be profoundly affected by slight shifts in the timing and rate of flower organ development (i.e., flower heterochrony). We argue that understanding the genetic and environmental bases of flower heterochrony and their effect on flower morphology and sex in cultivated plants and in their wild relatives can facilitate crop improvement.