Figure 1.

Experiment overview and sampled tissues. A) Different sugar beet genotypes C600 and Roberta (Rob) were kept in short days (8 h photoperiod) and treated with GA₄, added by pipette directly to the shoot apex without having been vernalized (/+GA) or after having been vernalized at 6°C for 18 weeks (/vern + GA). Shoot apices were pooled from individual plants prior to RNA isolation to allow sufficient material for robust RNA purification. The total number of apices analysed/treatment is indicated, as are the final yield of total RNA. The RNA-Seq method used required a minimum of 30 μg of total RNA/sample. B) The picture shows a typical example of the developmental stage and condition of plants when sampled - i) view of plants in the growth chamber with the GA-treated plants in the background marked with wooden canes; ii) a close up of the shoot tip, arrow; iii) example of plant apices as harvested; ii) typical example of the shoot apex after dissection, next to a ruler with 1 mm divisions.