Flowering Locus T Chimeric Protein Induces Floral Precocity In Edible Citrus

Citrus (family Rutaceae) is one of the most important fruit crops, with world production exceeding 150 million metric tons in 2018 and a gross production value of 37.5 billion international dollars in 2016 (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data). Citrus breeding programs seek improvements in areas ranging from fruit quality (e.g., seedlessness, acid content) to resistance against emergent diseases (e.g., huanglongbing). Unfortunately, breeding efforts are hampered by a long juvenility period of 6 or more years, characterized by thorniness, lack of flowering, and vertical as opposed to spreading growth form (Spiegel-Roy and Goldschmidt, 1996).