Genes Involved in the Transition and Floral Sexual Differentiation of Jatropha curcas L

Abstract

Flowering is the change from the vegetative state to the reproductive state. Flowering initiation is regulated by endogenous genetic components and by numerous environmental factors. These stimuli determine the different molecular mechanisms that are required to give way to flowering and vary according to the dose of the stimulus and the crop used. Jatropha curcas is a perennial shrub that produces oil from its seeds of adequate quality to be transformed into biofuels. However, this plant still presents limitations for its establishment as a commercial crop since it produces low seeds, which can be attributed to its low production of female flowers. This plant also presents multiple and asynchronous flowering periods as a consequence of the accession and of the climatic conditions, which implies that the fruits do not ripen synchronously, and therefore the harvests are constant, manual, and expensive. Knowing the mechanisms that regulate the flowering of J. curcas is important to improve its seed production. Therefore, current revision covers the analysis of genes involved in flowering to gain information on the pathways involved in floral transition and in the differentiation of the sexual organs of J. curcas.