Scientists have found that developmental change from the vegetative-to-reproductive transition happens over the course of a few days. During the transition, plants slow down the leaf growth and instead develop reproductive organs. This transition starts the process of nutrients in the leaves being diverted into the reproductive organs of the plant and eventually into their fruits and grains. Even in these highly controlled conditions, Arabidopsis thaliana — a kind of wild mustard — started showing signs of the developmental transition on different days. While the plants had the same chronological age, they were on different points along the path of plant ‘puberty’. The researchers identified specific genetic changes that correlated with the timing of this developmental change. The researchers also discovered that plants start the process of killing their leaves even before they could see visible reproductive structures. Like in the case of human growth, plants too grow in their own unique way.
