Growth control in plants: current understanding and potential applications

Growth occurs by the coordination of cell proliferation and cell growth and leads to the formation of organs and entire plants and animals of characteristic sizes and shapes. This process is genetically controlled and is also strongly influenced by environmental factors. Understanding the mechanisms controlling growth is a centrally important objective in biology, and in plants it has important applications as growth is a key determinant of yield. We have mainly used Arabidopsis thaliana to define growth regulatory mechanisms, and we then assess the conservation of these mechanisms in crop plants such as oilseed rape and wheat. In my talk I will present our recent progress in defining a novel mechanism controlling growth and show the importance of trying to understand the cellular basis of growth.

More on Professor Mike Bevan