Ecotype-Specific Expression of a Flowering Mutant Phenotype in Arabidopsis thaliana

The majority of mutations that delay flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana have been identified in studies of the Landsberg erecta (Ler) ecotype. In this report we describe a gene (referred to as FLD) that, when mutated, delays flowering in the Columbia ecotype but has a minimal phenotype in the Ler genetic background. The late-flowering phenotype of fld mutants requires a non-Ler allele of another gene involved in the control of flowering time, Flowering Locus C. fld mutants retain a photoperiod response, and the flowering time of fld mutants can be reduced by cold treatment and low red/far-red light ratios.