A Survey of Factors Involved in Crop Maturity

The time necessary for crops to successfully complete reproduction is species and environment dependent. Lifecycles can be completed in a few weeks or take several years depending on the plant species. Crop development is divided into phenophases that are affected primarily by light and temperature changes, interacting with phytohormones. Some species are influenced more by light and others by temperature. This review focuses on factors that influence maturation in several important agronomic crops.