How do ambient temperature signals regulate flowering time in bread wheat?

The role of temperature on how our crops develop and set grain is becoming increasingly important to understand. One critical stage is flowering time as it is determines the synchronization of reproductive development with favourable environmental conditions. Very few genes which regulate the finetuning of this response are known, and for none of these do we have an understanding of how they interact with ambient and variable temperatures.

This project will use advanced genetic material, in a close collaboration with NIAB, to understand how 3 flowering time responses are controlled by temperature, the potential genes which underpin these responses and a temperature responsive framework for flowering.

The project will combine genetic, molecular biology, bioinformatic analysis with controlled condition and field trial assessment. The understanding from this project can be anticipated to be translational into other grass crops, including barley, rice and maize.