{
  "abstract": "Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) exhibits highly variable and often delayed flowering, which limits controlled hybridization and breeding efficiency. Virus-induced flowering (VIF) provides a transient approach for manipulating flowering time, but this strategy has not yet been established in cassava. Here, we investigated whether transient delivery of Arabidopsis thaliana FLOWERING LOCUS T (AtFT) through a Cassava common mosaic virus (CsCMV)-based vector could promote flowering and reproductive development in cassava. A recombinant CsCMV2-AtFT vector was introduced into three cassava cultivars (TMS 60444, HN and SM 1219-9) by agroinoculation. Flowering occurred in 73.3–76.7% of CsCMV2-AtFT-inoculated plants across the three cultivars, whereas none of the CsCMV2-NC control plants flowered under identical growth conditions. The first visible floral buds appeared at 21.8–29.1 days post inoculation, and anthesis occurred at 43.3–62.0 days depending on cultivar. RT-PCR and western blot analysis confirmed systemic AtFT transcript and protein expression in CsCMV2-AtFT-inoculated plants. Virus-induced flowers exhibited normal female and male floral morphology. In HN plants, CsCMV2-AtFT treatment was associated with significantly higher transcript levels of endogenous flowering-associated genes, including MeSOC1-1/2, MeFUL, MeLFY1/2 and MeAP1-1/2/3. Furthermore, induced flowers were reproductively functional, as demonstrated by geitonogamous hand pollination and production of mature fruits containing seeds. These findings demonstrate that CsCMV-mediated transient AtFT delivery promotes flowering and reproductive development in cassava without stable transformation or tissue culture. This study expands the application of CsCMV-based biotechnology toward transient regulation of reproductive traits and provides a potential approach for controlled flowering and pollination in cassava.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Original Research",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Xuan Zhou"
    },
    {
      "name": "Decai Tuo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pu Yan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hongyan Nie"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hongguang Cui"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jie Cai"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yuqiang Shi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jianbo Zhu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Wentao Shen"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/97y4m4ptth083.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpls.2026.1960585",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "97y4m4ptth083",
  "issns": [
    "1664-462X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1960585",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "biology/plant-biology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-02",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/97y4m4ptth083.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:20:46Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpls.2026.1960585",
      "source": "feed-frontiers",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1960585"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:23:28Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpls.2026.1960585",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1960585/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "feed-journal:biology/plant-biology",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "CsCMV-mediated transient delivery of Arabidopsis FT enables virus-induced flowering in cassava",
  "title_text": "CsCMV-mediated transient delivery of Arabidopsis FT enables virus-induced flowering in cassava",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T00:25:40Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/97y4m4ptth083",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Plant Science",
  "versions": []
}