Molecular responses to chilling in a warming climate and their impacts on plant reproductive development and yield

Abstract

Abstract Responses to prolonged winter chilling are universal in temperate plants which use seasonal temperature cues in the seed, vegetative, and reproductive phases to align development with the earth’s orbit. Climate change is driving a decline in reliable winter chill and affecting the subtropical extent of cultivation for temperate overwintering crops. Here we explore molecular aspects of plant responses to winter chill including seasonal bud break and flowering, and how variation in the intensity of winter chilling or devernalization can lead to effects on post-chilling plant development, including that of structures necessary for crop yields.