**8. Discussion**

The discovery and utilization of improved traits that enhance the adaptability of crops to increasingly variable environments will help to ensure long-term crop

**49**

*Phenological Plasticity of Wild and Cultivated Plants DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85070*

**9. Conclusions**

ness in a new area of climate diversity.

stability in changing climates [74, 128, 129]. Knowledge of phenological plasticity in wild populations will continue to benefit breeding programs [28]. Although wild genomes increase genetic complexity and may impact plasticity and fitness in unpredictable ways through changes in development, morphology, or physiology, one of the discovered benefits of increased diversity is increased adaptability [71, 129]. Over the last decade, advancements in genetics, molecular biology, systems biology, and statistical modeling have removed many of the barriers for understanding the regulation of complex plasticity networks in plants [13]. Association mapping, next generation sequencing, and genotype-by-phenotype (GWAS) approaches have greatly improved our comprehensive understanding of plasticity and the impacts of genomic selection [141–143]. Additionally, translational approaches utilizing a wealth of genomic information from both model plant systems and non-domesticated relatives have provided a framework for parallel studies in a wide range of plant populations. These studies have helped to uncover the developmental, cellular, and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate plasticity in all plants [6, 13, 71, 74, 142, 143].

One of the benefits of increasing genetic diversity in domesticated populations,

from a long-term agricultural perspective, is the increased likelihood of plant population survival in unpredictable environments. In the past, evaluating the contributions of specific traits on phenological plasticity in plants was challenging due to experimental limitations and gaps in knowledge. However, emerging research continues to be extended from model systems directly to wild and cultivated plant populations to uncover the full potential of plasticity. New areas of research will need to investigate plasticity using a systems biology approach. Work should continue to explore the degree of conservation of plasticity existing between monocots and dicot crops, as well as comparing the contributions of ploidy on diversity. Other areas of research should address how DNA methylation and epigenetic mechanisms contribute to plant plasticity and may be fully utilized in plant improvement programs. Additional work should focus on how the simultaneous deployment of multiple plasticity mechanisms during plant developmental shift in changing environments using newly identified plasticity markers like the peroxisomes. Continued plasticity research will be is critical for understanding how to maximize the benefits of both domestication and wild genetic diversity to maximize adaptation and fit-

### *Phenological Plasticity of Wild and Cultivated Plants DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85070*

stability in changing climates [74, 128, 129]. Knowledge of phenological plasticity in wild populations will continue to benefit breeding programs [28]. Although wild genomes increase genetic complexity and may impact plasticity and fitness in unpredictable ways through changes in development, morphology, or physiology, one of the discovered benefits of increased diversity is increased adaptability [71, 129]. Over the last decade, advancements in genetics, molecular biology, systems biology, and statistical modeling have removed many of the barriers for understanding the regulation of complex plasticity networks in plants [13]. Association mapping, next generation sequencing, and genotype-by-phenotype (GWAS) approaches have greatly improved our comprehensive understanding of plasticity and the impacts of genomic selection [141–143]. Additionally, translational approaches utilizing a wealth of genomic information from both model plant systems and non-domesticated relatives have provided a framework for parallel studies in a wide range of plant populations. These studies have helped to uncover the developmental, cellular, and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate plasticity in all plants [6, 13, 71, 74, 142, 143].
