Molecular Genetic Characterization of Photoperiodic genes in Cassava

Flowering and its control is a critical developmental transition in angiosperms. The developmental timing of flowering has been widely studied in the temperate species Arabidopsis, which was well aided by the sequencing of its genome. However, the timing of flowering is not well understood in tropical species. Efforts are being made to extend the understanding of the molecular pathways controlling flowering from those of Arabidopsis to that of Cassava by taking advantage of genomics information from this temperate species. This should be an invaluable tool for understanding and exploiting floral timing in a tropical plant. Cassava is a crop that is critically important for food security in the tropics and sub-tropical regions of the world. Because, it is an orphan crop of limited research interest, almost nothing is known regarding its molecular basis of flowering. Therefore, it remains unclear what molecular pathways are implicated in flowering in Cassava and how this can be used to improve breeding.