Objective
Cell division in plants is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of research in agro-industy. Because of its fundamental role in plant development, technologies related to cell division are expected to open up a wide range of applications in the field of sexual reproduction, apomixis, regeneration, germination, plant architecture, control of methodes and gemini viruses, and, most importantly, in crop yield. Cell division is controled by a complex molecular machinery, named "the cell cycle", involving over one hundred proteins. The isolation and characterization of cell cycle genes, together with an understanding of the impact of these genes on the development, growth, and physiology of the plant are the prime objectives of the ECCO project. ECCO, therefore, brings a functional genomics approach to the cell cycle, creating knowledge and tools for direct application in agriculture. ECCO is the first European initiative on the cell cycle in plants.