A systems approach to understand shoot branching

Shoots are ramifying systems with regular initiation of new growth axils called shoot branches. In seedplants, shoot buds initiate in leaf axils from axillary meristems (AMs) containing stem cells. The activitiesof AMs and buds play vital roles in plant architecture and crop yield. Whereas recent years have witnessedenormous progress the control of bud outgrowth, our knowledge of AM initiation …