Evaluating the potential of SHI expression as a compacting tool for ornamental plants》.pdf

Plant Science 187 (2012) 19–30 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Plant Science j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. elsev /locate/pla ntsci Review Evaluating the potential of SHI expression as a compacting tool for ornamental plants Sine H. Topp ∗ , Søren K. Rasmussen Department of Agriculture and Ecology, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Control of plant growth, especially elongation of stems, is important in modern plant production, and Received 3 October 2011 many plant species, including cereals, grasses, fruit trees and ornamentals, are regularly treated chemi- Received in revised form 17 January 2012 cally to control their stature and flowering time. Chemical treatments ensure short, homogenous plants, Accepted 18 January 2012 which are more robust and easy to harvest, transport and sell. Although growth retardants are an expen- Available online 25 January 2012 sive and undesirable step in plant production, it is unfortunately necessary at present. Compact growth is desirable in most ornamentals and this trait can be difficult to obtain by traditional Keywords: