Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in Plants

Plant architecture is a key determinant of canopy structure, light interception, photosynthetic efficiency and overall biomass production. In response to changing environmental conditions, plants dynamically adjust their growth and architectural traits to optimize resource use and productivity. Leaf...

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Main Authors: Ahmad Ali, Ting-Ting Zhao, Cui-Lian Feng, Xue-Ting Zhao, Ling Li, Rui-Jie Wu, Hong-Bo Liu, Qi-Xing Huang, Ji-Shan Lin, Jun-Gang Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Plant Stress
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X25001861
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author Ahmad Ali
Ting-Ting Zhao
Cui-Lian Feng
Xue-Ting Zhao
Ling Li
Rui-Jie Wu
Hong-Bo Liu
Qi-Xing Huang
Ji-Shan Lin
Jun-Gang Wang
author_facet Ahmad Ali
Ting-Ting Zhao
Cui-Lian Feng
Xue-Ting Zhao
Ling Li
Rui-Jie Wu
Hong-Bo Liu
Qi-Xing Huang
Ji-Shan Lin
Jun-Gang Wang
author_sort Ahmad Ali
collection DOAJ
description Plant architecture is a key determinant of canopy structure, light interception, photosynthetic efficiency and overall biomass production. In response to changing environmental conditions, plants dynamically adjust their growth and architectural traits to optimize resource use and productivity. Leaf angle (LA) is one of the vital agronomic traits that influences leaf orientation, with erect leaf phenotypes enhancing light capture, nitrogen use efficiency and yield, particularly advantageous in high-density planting systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the hormonal and genetic regulatory networks that control leaf structure and specifically LA. It highlights the role of major phytohormones pathways, including brassinosteroids (BR), auxin (IAA), gibberellins (GA), and cytokinins (CKs), with an emphasis on their roles in shaping leaf architecture. BR signaling, in particular, emerges as a central hub, coordinating developmental responses through extensive crosstalk with IAA, GA, and other signaling cascades. Additionally, this review also explores how environmental constraints interact with hormonal and transcriptional dynamics of these pathways to modulate LA, highlighting the complex interplay between intrinsic genetic programs and external conditions. Overall, this review explores current insights into the key genes, signaling pathways, molecular networks, and diverse environmental factors involved in LA regulation. It emphasizes their practical significance in plant architectural optimization and implications for high-density planting adaptability, crop improvement and sustainable agricultural productivity.
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spelling doaj-art-7d4bcda0786d476cb11b0f0865db3bc12025-08-23T04:49:27ZengElsevierPlant Stress2667-064X2025-09-011710091810.1016/j.stress.2025.100918Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in PlantsAhmad Ali0Ting-Ting Zhao1Cui-Lian Feng2Xue-Ting Zhao3Ling Li4Rui-Jie Wu5Hong-Bo Liu6Qi-Xing Huang7Ji-Shan Lin8Jun-Gang Wang9National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Sugarcane Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Kaiyuan 661699, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, ChinaNational Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, China; Corresponding authors.National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops/Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan Province, Hainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural Resources/Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, China; Corresponding authors.Plant architecture is a key determinant of canopy structure, light interception, photosynthetic efficiency and overall biomass production. In response to changing environmental conditions, plants dynamically adjust their growth and architectural traits to optimize resource use and productivity. Leaf angle (LA) is one of the vital agronomic traits that influences leaf orientation, with erect leaf phenotypes enhancing light capture, nitrogen use efficiency and yield, particularly advantageous in high-density planting systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the hormonal and genetic regulatory networks that control leaf structure and specifically LA. It highlights the role of major phytohormones pathways, including brassinosteroids (BR), auxin (IAA), gibberellins (GA), and cytokinins (CKs), with an emphasis on their roles in shaping leaf architecture. BR signaling, in particular, emerges as a central hub, coordinating developmental responses through extensive crosstalk with IAA, GA, and other signaling cascades. Additionally, this review also explores how environmental constraints interact with hormonal and transcriptional dynamics of these pathways to modulate LA, highlighting the complex interplay between intrinsic genetic programs and external conditions. Overall, this review explores current insights into the key genes, signaling pathways, molecular networks, and diverse environmental factors involved in LA regulation. It emphasizes their practical significance in plant architectural optimization and implications for high-density planting adaptability, crop improvement and sustainable agricultural productivity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X25001861Leaf anglePlant architectureHormonal networksTranscription factorsEnvironmental constraints
spellingShingle Ahmad Ali
Ting-Ting Zhao
Cui-Lian Feng
Xue-Ting Zhao
Ling Li
Rui-Jie Wu
Hong-Bo Liu
Qi-Xing Huang
Ji-Shan Lin
Jun-Gang Wang
Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in Plants
Plant Stress
Leaf angle
Plant architecture
Hormonal networks
Transcription factors
Environmental constraints
title Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in Plants
title_full Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in Plants
title_fullStr Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in Plants
title_full_unstemmed Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in Plants
title_short Decoding the Hormonal, Genetic, and Environmental Signals Regulating Leaf Angle in Plants
title_sort decoding the hormonal genetic and environmental signals regulating leaf angle in plants
topic Leaf angle
Plant architecture
Hormonal networks
Transcription factors
Environmental constraints
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X25001861
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