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Plants experience a variety of adverse environments during their vegetative growth and reproductive development, and to ensure that they complete their life cycle successfully, they have evolved specific defense mechanisms to cope with unfavorable environments. Flowering is a vital developmental stage and an important determinant of productivity in the lifetime of plants, which can be vulnerable to multiple abiotic stresses. Exposure to stress during this period can have dramatic effects on flower physiological and morphological development, which may ultimately lead to a substantial loss of yield in seed-producing plants. However, there has been increasing research evidence that diverse abiotic stresses, ranging from drought, low temperature, and heat stress can promote or delay plant flowering. This review focuses on how plants alter developmental direction to balance between survival and productivity under drought and extreme temperature conditions. Starting from the perspective of the functional analysis of key flowering-regulated genes, it is of great help for researchers to quickly gain a deeper understanding of the regulatory effects of abiotic stress on the flowering process, to elucidate the molecular mechanisms, and to improve the regulatory network of abiotic-stress-induced flowering. Additionally, the important agronomic significance of the interaction between abiotic stress and the flowering regulation of perennial plants under climate change conditions is also discussed after summarizing studies on the mechanisms of stress-induced flowering in annual plants. This review aims to clarify the effects of abiotic stresses (mainly drought and temperature) on plant flowering, which are significant for future productivity increase under unfavorable environmental conditions.

A green light for red apples Insights into a hormonal signaling pathway controlling apple coloration could help growers to consistently produce eye-catching fruit. Auxins are signaling molecules that regulate many important metabolic pathways in plants. Research from a team led by Xue-sen Chen at Shandong Agricultural University in China now reveals how the auxin naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) controls production of anthocyanin, the molecule that gives red apples their distinctive coloration. The researchers determined that increasing NAA levels result in reduced production of anthocyanin. These effects are mediated by a subset of auxin-associated proteins that regulate the expression of genes that contribute to the synthesis of this pigment. The color of fruit can strongly influence consumer purchasing decisions, and this signaling pathway could help horticulturalists to ensure that apples retain their visual appeal even under inclement growing conditions.