Collection
Flower Senescence – Physiology and Molecular Biology
The global floriculture industry relies on diverse flower crops for their vibrancy and economic significance. Consumers appreciate long lasting flowers and the distribution industry desires reduction in deterioration of flower quality in the distribution chain. Floral senescence is a highly programmed and coordinated event regulating the metabolic activities leading to structural, enzymatic and molecular changes and consequently shortening the useful life of flowers. The pre-destined, highly controlled senescence rates are also influenced by different plant hormones like ethylene, cytokinins, polyamines, and abscisic acid, as well as multiple physiological events. The insights into mechanisms governing the metabolic and molecular aspects of floral senescence will provide interesting opportunities to study senescence patterns, ethylene mediation effects, or identification of senescence delaying genes. The process is still poorly understood and the research emphasis in this area will highlight the associations and regulatory pathways to slow the senescence dynamics and encourage future studies deciphering associations between colour changes, wilting, drooping, fragrant volatiles and senescence specific markers.
A complex interaction between different genes has been observed by various workers in different flowers and flower organs. A significant number of genes have been identified to show upregulation in their expression patterns while many others have shown down-regulation on the molecular aspects of floral senescence. Further, work is required for isolation, identification, characterization, differential gene expression, signal transduction of several senescence-related genes from different flowers, mostly from the petals. Numerous transcription factors are also implicated, and further research is necessary to determine if they play a crucial role(s) in floral senescence. The exposure to ethylene, exogenously or endogenous production is known to influence vase life dramatically. Thus, studies on ethylene production, associated gene expressions, different molecular events and signaling may offer vital research insights and technical reference into mechanisms governing flower senescence.
This collection focuses on the physiological and molecular aspects of flower senescence.
Editors
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Kalyan Barman
Kalyan Barman is Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He obtained his Masters and PhD in Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. He has 12 years research experience in the field of postharvest technology. His research interests include postharvest physiology and biochemistry, ripening and senescence, bioactive molecules and storage physiology of horticultural crops.
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Sudip Kumar Dutta
Sudip Kumar Dutta is Senior Scientist at ICAR-Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, India.He obtained his Masters and PhD in Fruits and Horticultural Technology from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. He has 13 years of research experience in the field of horticulture. His research activity is currently focused on genomic, metabolomic and phyto-nutritional studies of fruit and other horticultural crops.
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P.K. Nagar
P.K. Nagar is the retired Senior Scientist from CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, India. He obtained his Masters and PhD in Plant Physiology from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He has more than 45 years research experience in the field of hormonal physiology and postharvest of horticultural and medicinal crops as well as seed biology. At present, he is one of the Reviewing Editor in Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, Plant Growth Regulation and the Journal of Plant Growth Regulation.
