Scientists at Iowa State University have harnessed data analytics to
look at the mechanisms that determine how genetisandchangging
environmental conditionsinteract during crucial developmental stages of
plants.

The study published in/New Phytologist/focused on how temperature
changes affect the height of sorghum plants and the concept of
phenotypic plasticity, or how a given trait can differ as a result of
environmental conditions. The new study examined the growth rate of
sorghum between 40 and 53 days after planting, a critical stage of
development in the crop. Zeroing in on that rapid-growth phase in the
plant's life cycle allowed the researchers to examine the mechanisms
that govern sorghum's phenotypic plasticity in greater detail.

The researchers found that increases in diurnal temperature change
produced shorter plants. The trend was particularly distinct during that
critical developmental phase around 40 to 53 days after planting. "We
found that these genes actually interact with environmental stimuli and
control the maximum growth rate as well as time to reach maximum growth
rate," said Qi Mu, a postdoctoral research associate in agronomy and the
first author of the study.

Under the hood: How environment and genomes interact in plant
development â?? News Service â?? Iowa State University (iastate.edu)
[www.news.iastate.edu]