The Role of the Root System in Flowering

Morteza Gholizadeh¹ Hasann Sardari²

1) 1. Master of Science in Horticultural Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran,
2) 2. Master of Science in Agronomy and Plant Breeding, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran,

IOI Code : ABEB-ABCHGA
Publication : 4th International Conference on Recent Advances in Engineering, Innovation and Technology - Belgium(eitconf.com)
Abstract :
    Flowering time in plants is a critical developmental transition influenced by environmental and endogenous cues. Traditionally viewed as a shoot-centric process involving photoperiodic, vernalization, and age pathways, recent research highlights the root system as an active regulatory hub in the flowering network. Roots not only absorb water and nutrients but also produce and transmit systemic signals—particularly cytokinins (CK) and nitrate—that modulate flowering time through interactions with the shoot. Root-derived cytokinins, including trans- and cis-zeatin forms, act as long-distance signals that regulate flowering integrators such as SOC1 via the age pathway components miR156 and miR172, accelerating the vegetative-to-reproductive transition in Arabidopsis thaliana (Bartrina et al., 2025). Nitrate signaling, mediated by transporters like NRT1.1/NPF6.3 and downstream factors such as NLP6/7, integrates nutritional status with circadian clock components and gibberellin pathways, either promoting or delaying flowering depending on availability (Wang et al., 2024). Under stress conditions, root-originated abscisic acid (ABA) further modulates these responses. Transcriptomic and genetic studies reveal that key flowering genes (CO, FT) and clock regulators are expressed in roots, establishing bidirectional shoot–root feedback loops involving hormonal, metabolic (e.g., sugar), and genetic signals. These findings challenge the shoot-only paradigm and position roots as essential nodes in a whole-plant flowering network (Riboni et al., 2024). Understanding root contributions offers new insights into plant developmental plasticity and potential applications in crop breeding for optimized flowering under varying environmental and nutritional conditions.

Keywords : root system flowering time cytokinin root to shoot signaling