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Back to MCB
Back to MCB Research at MCB
 
laura.roden@uct.ac.za | Telephone +27 21 650 5322 | Facsimile +27 21 689 7573
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Field trip to Calvinia Mariette collecting floral buds

We are the Rhythms and Blooms lab!

Our research interests are in circadian rhythms in plants and humans, and the photoperiodic control of developmental transitions in plants, including flowering time. In particular we are interested in the regulation of the circadian clock in plants and the role of histone modification in rhythms; the role of the circadian clock in defence responses; the regulation of the floral transition and dormancy through photoperiod; and the effect of circadian rhythms on performance in sports.

We are interested in the control of flowering time in the genetic model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, in commercially important Protea spp hybrids, and the ornamental Impatiens

balsamina. The control of flowering time is desirable for a number of reasons. Prevention of flowering in the field can result in improvement of certain crops, but in the light of genetic modification, can also decrease the risk of transgene transfer through pollen. Knowledge of the environmental conditions required for seed dormancy break and germination, as well as those for flowering are important in the growth and breeding of endangered species.
Liabo (Dee) contemplates the flowers Eric Vai, Lovermore and Megan