Photoperiod insensitivity in crops helps in:
Photoperiod sensitivity governs flowering time in many crops via perception of day length by photoreceptors phytochrome and cryptochrome interacting with circadian clock genes including Constans, Flowering Locus T, Ppd, and Hd1. Short-day plants flower when nights exceed critical length, long-day plants opposite. Photoperiod insensitivity arises from loss-of-function mutants in these regulatory genes causing day-neutral flowering independent of photoperiod. This trait confers wide adaptability allowing genotype to be cultivated across latitudes from equator to temperate zones and across season
Ref: Thomas & Vince-Prue Photoperiodism in Plants 2nd Ed; Cockram et al Trends Plant Sci 2007 Ppd photoperiod insensitivity wide adaptation.
