Agents for inducing flower bud formation

Details Agents for inducing flower bud formation Agents for inducing flower bud formation

1998-07-02

2001-01-16

Lankford, Jr., Leon B. (Department: 1651)

Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology

Micro-organism, tissue cell culture or enzyme using process...

Preparing oxygen-containing organic compound

C047S05810R, C435S132000, C435S189000, C435S430000, C504S189000, C504S320000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06174712

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to agents for inducing flower bud formation, methods for the production thereof, and methods for inducing flower bud formation using said agents for inducing flower bud formation.
BACKGROUND ART
It is well known that flower formation of plants is controlled by day length. It has also been found that the part that responds to the day length is the leaf blade and flower formation begins at the meristem and that a certain signal is sent from the leaf blade via the petiole and the stem to the meristem where flower formation starts. The signal is called “florigen.” It is obvious that the isolation and identification of florigen would enable the artificial control of the flowering timing of plants irrespective of day length, which would no doubt have enormous impacts on many plant-related fields.
Thus, attempts have been made to artificially control the timing of flowering of plants by elucidating the mechanism of the process of flower formation.
For example, it was found that gibberellin, a growth hormone of plants, when applied, causes flower bud formation of long-day plants even under short-day conditions and that pineapples start flower formation after the application of a-naphthalene, a synthetic auxin, which is currently used industrially.
However, it is also known that these plant hormones are florigen-related substances, which are different from florigen itself.
Therefore, it is often required to set various conditions such as the timing and the environments of applying these plant hormones to plants, etc. As a result, there is a need for further advancement of flowering methods, or more specifically, the establishment of flowering techniques through isolation and identification of substances which are directly involved in flower bud formation.
It has also been reported that the phenomenon of flower bud formation based on photoperiodis is inhibited by a dry stress in the plants of the genus Pharbitis, the genus Xanthium, and the genus Lolium (for the genus Pharbitis and the genus Xanthium: Aspinall 1967; for the genus Lolium: King and Evans). Furthermore, it has also been reported that flower bud formation is induced by low temperature (Bernier et al. 1981; Hirai et al. 1994), high illumination (Shinozaki 1972), poor nutrition (Hirai et al. 1993), or shortage of nitrogen sources (Wada and Totuka 1982; Tanaka 1986; Tanaka et al. 1991).
However, these reports are mere observations of phenomena and do not directly specify the above-mentioned florigen and there is still a need for the establishment of the flowering method based on the understanding from the material aspect.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Thus, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to locate an inducer of flower bud formation that is directly involved in flowering and thereby to provide an agent for inducing flower bud formation having said inducer of flower bud formation as an active ingredient.
The present invention first provides an agent for inducing flower bud formation comprising a fatty acid of 4 to 24 carbon atoms having an oxo group and a hydroxy group and containing 0 to 6 double bonds.
The present invention also provides an agent for inducing flower bud formation comprising a fatty acid of 4 to 24 carbon atoms having an oxo group, a hydroxy group and a hydroperoxy group and containing 0 to 6 double bonds.
The present invention further provides an agent for inducing flower bud formation comprising a fatty acid of 4 to 24 carbon atoms having a hydroperoxy group and containing 0 to 6 double bonds.
The present invention further provides an agent for inducing flower bud formation which is obtained by incubating a yeast mass or a tissue of an angiospermal plant or an aqueous extract thereof with a fatty acid.
The present invention further provides an agent for inducing flower bud formation comprising various agents for inducing flower bud formation mentioned above and norepinephrine.
The present invention further provides a kit for inducing flower bud formation comprising an agent for inducing flower bud formation.
The present invention further provides a method of inducing flower bud formation comprising applying said agent for inducing flower bud formation to a plant.


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