Vegetative phase change is the juvenile-to-adult transition in plants.
Manipulating phase change may be an important avenue for plant improvement.
[2] In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, vegetative phase change is relatively subtle: leaves become more curled, with an increased number of abaxial trichomes, and increased serration.
[3] Studies in A. thaliana and maize identified microRNA MIR156 genes as master regulators of phase change, through their regulation of SQUAMOSA-PROMOTER-BINDING-LIKE (SBP/SPL) transcription factors.
[4][5] This gene regulatory circuit appears to be conserved (with variations) in all land plants, including mosses.