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Flowering Shoots of Ornamental Crops as a Model to Study Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Plant Gravitropism

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Plant Gravitropism

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1309))

Abstract

Flowering shoots offer a very convenient and excellent model system for in-depth study of shoot gravitropism in regular stems rather than in special aboveground organs, showing how plants cope with the force of gravity on Earth and change in orientation. Regarding the emerging notion that roots and shoots execute their gravitropic bending by different mechanisms, the use of flowering shoots offers additional confirmation for the suggested shoot-sensing mechanisms initially found in Arabidopsis. As a part of confirming this mechanism, studying this unique model system also enabled elucidation of the sequence of events operating in gravity signalling in shoots. Hence, using the system of flowering shoots provided an additional dimension to our understanding of shoot gravitropism and its hormonal regulation, which has been less advanced than root gravitropism. This is particularly important since the term “shoots” includes various aboveground organs. Hence, unlike other aboveground organs such as pulvini, the asymmetric growth in response to change in shoot orientation is accompanied in cut ornamental spikes by a continuous growth process. This chapter provides an overview of the basic methods, specifically developed or adapted from other graviresponding systems, for determining the main components which play a key role in gravistimulation signalling in flowering shoots.

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Acknowledgements

Contribution No. 700/14 from the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. The authors’ work on flowering shoot gravitropism was supported by research grants from BARD (The USA–Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund) and the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Center, 6, Bet-Dagan, 5025001, Israel

    Sonia Philosoph-Hadas, Haya Friedman & Shimon Meir

Authors
  1. Sonia Philosoph-Hadas
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  2. Haya Friedman
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  3. Shimon Meir
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Correspondence to Sonia Philosoph-Hadas .

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  1. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Inc., Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA

    Elison B. Blancaflor

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Philosoph-Hadas, S., Friedman, H., Meir, S. (2015). Flowering Shoots of Ornamental Crops as a Model to Study Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Plant Gravitropism. In: Blancaflor, E. (eds) Plant Gravitropism. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1309. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2697-8_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2697-8_14

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2696-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2697-8

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