LAUSR

Significance In temperate climates many plant species use long-term detection of winter chilling as a seasonal cue. Previously the timing of flowering in winter annual plants has been shown to be controlled by the promotion of the floral transition by chilling, known as vernalization. In contrast, many temperate perennial species produce flower buds prior to winter and require winter chilling to break bud dormancy to enable bud break and flowering in the following spring. Here we show that flowering time in winter annuals can be controlled by bud dormancy and that in winter oilseed rape–reduced chilling during flower bud dormancy is associated with yield declines.