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The Genomes of Rosaceous Berries and Their Wild Relatives pp 35–48Cite as

Control of Flowering in Strawberries

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Part of the book series: Compendium of Plant Genomes ((CPG))

Abstract

Strawberries (Fragaria sp.) are small perennial plants capable of both sexual reproduction through seeds and clonal reproduction via runners. Because vegetative and generative developmental programs are tightly connected, the control of flowering is presented here in the context of the yearly growth cycle. The rosette crown of strawberry consists of a stem with short internodes produced from the apical meristem. Each node harbors one trifoliate leaf and an axillary bud. The fate of axillary buds is dictated by environmental conditions; high temperatures and long days (LDs) promote axillary bud development into runners, whereas cool temperature and short days (SDs) favor the formation of branch crowns. SDs and cool temperature also promote flowering; under these conditions, the main shoot apical meristem is converted into a terminal inflorescence, and vegetative growth is continued from the uppermost axillary branch crown. The environmental factors that regulate vegetative and generative development in strawberries have been reasonably well characterized and are reviewed in the first two chapters. The genetic basis of the physiological responses in strawberries is much less clear. To provide a point of reference for the flowering pathways described in strawberries so far, a short review on the molecular mechanisms controlling flowering in the model plant Arabidopsis is given. The last two chapters will then describe the current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms controlling the physiological responses in strawberries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 7, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Elli A. Koskela & Timo Hytönen

  2. Rosaceae Genetics and Genomics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, 08193, Cerdanyola, Spain

    Elli A. Koskela

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  1. Elli A. Koskela
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  2. Timo Hytönen
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Correspondence to Timo Hytönen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Timo Hytönen

  2. Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, United Kingdom

    Julie Graham

  3. Genetics, Genomics and Breeding, NIAB EMR, East Malling, Kent, United Kingdom

    Richard Harrison

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Koskela, E.A., Hytönen, T. (2018). Control of Flowering in Strawberries. In: Hytönen, T., Graham, J., Harrison, R. (eds) The Genomes of Rosaceous Berries and Their Wild Relatives. Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76020-9_4

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