Award details

201c: Mechanisms underlying the control of plant development by light and photoperiod

Reference	BBS/E/H/00030027
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Brian Thomas
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Stephen Jackson
Institution	University of Warwick
Department	Warwick HRI
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	563,439
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/1997
End date	31/03/2000
Duration	36 months

Abstract

The objective of this project is to identify mechanisms by which light regulates processes of importance in horticultural species and the exploitation of this information to improve the quality and manipulate development in relevant species. Transgenic plants or defined genetic mutants modified in their expression of photoreceptor or other genes involved in the response to light and photoperiod will be produced. They will be used to determine the molecular genetic basis of daylength measurement in model long-day plants and short-day plants and the control of plant stature and architecture. This project contributes directly to the Science and Technology Foresight Genetic and Biomolecular Engineering priority of "designer plant tissues, through genetic modification". It falls within the Plant and Microbial Sciences remit of basic and strategic research aimed at understanding and exploiting biological processes in plants and microbes through an integration of molecular, cellular and systems level of analysis and specifically within theme 81. Photoregulation is an integral component of plant development and this programme will be pervasive, being relevant to current BBSRC priorities in reproduction and gene expression in growth and development and the new priority area of resource allocation. Outputs would include new knowledge about photoregulatory mechanisms; new gene sequences involved in the control of morphogenesis and reproduction; novel phenotypes of important crop species. Benefits would be in the form of added value through novelty and quality, and potentially more efficient or lower cost growing systems, especially in photoperiodic crops. Novel uses of photoreceptor genes have a limited commercial potential because of existing intellectual property. Novel genes related to the end processes under photocontrol would, however, have commercial potential. Also, modification of photoresponse characteristics could open up new approaches to environmental control, offering a systems approach which could have commercial potential, e.g. the light input for a crop grown in a photoperiodic regime could be reduced by increasing the sensitivity to light. There are several opportunities for plants with altered stature e.g. ornamentals, tree fruit crops.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Plant & Microbial Sciences (PMS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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