⁃ The vegetative phase is when the plat forms root stems and leaves

⁃ The reproductive phase is when the plant produces flowers

⁃ The change from the vegetative phase to the reproductive phase happens when the
meristems in the shoot start to produce flowers instead of leaves

⁃ Flowers
are structures for sexual reproduction

They are produced by the shoot epical meristems /reproductive shoot

Temperature + day length specifically length of the dark period

play a role in transforming a leaf producing shoot into flowering shoot
by production of either inhibitors or activators of genes that control flowering

Mechanism

1. Light activates phytochrome pigment

2. Which transcribes, a flowering time gene (FT gene)
3. The mRNA is transported in the phloem to the shoot apical Meristem
4. It is then translated to flowering time protein (FT protein)
5. Which binds to a transcription factor
6. Which leads to the activation of many other flowering genes
7. Which transforms the producing meristem into reproductive meristem