The blooming of grass flower development

The past half decade has provided a wealth of information concerning the molecular and genetic control of floral organ and meristem identity in dicotyledonous plants. Comparatively little is understood about these processes in grass species in spite of the importance that these species play in human agriculture. The isolation of grass genes that are homologous to dicot floral homeotic genes in combination with recent advances in reverse genetic technology and improvements in cereal transformation opens the door for understanding molecular mechanisms of grass flower development. Such information will also focus attention on the evolutionary relationships between grass and dicot flowers and the degree to which the developmental pathways leading to reproductive organ development in divergent angiosperms have utilized conserved mechanisms.