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Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
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ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
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Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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The Supercycle Hypothesis - Foundations of Chronobotánica Temporal Morphogenesis in Plants

Authors: Vitor, Elias Ivan;

The Supercycle Hypothesis - Foundations of Chronobotánica Temporal Morphogenesis in Plants

Abstract

Traditional controlled-environment photoperiods for flowering plant cultivation typically replicate the modern 24-hour circadian solar day - a planetary constant that has changed throughout Earth’s history and will likely continue to do so. While previous discussions of photoperiod manipulation have centered on historical timeframes, our approach anticipates conditions that may exist millions of years in the future, extending temporal frameworks beyond the current circadian norm. This study introduces the concept of supercycles - symmetric light/dark photoperiods exceeding 24 hours (e.g., 13/13, 14/14, 15/15, 16/16) - and explores their effects on Cannabis sativa and Fragaria growth. Although 13/11 is not a supercycle, prior work under this regime provided a conceptual springboard, we now document floral structuresunder 15/15 and 16/16 supercycles that are radically divergent from canonical development, exhibitingclear chronomutated morphologies, including the Zombie Phenotype. We present the framework, methodology, and key observations suggesting that breaking the 24h constraint induces hormonal and morphological reprogramming.These effects are strong enough to stand on their own without needing a 12/12 control due to the scale of visible phenotypic deviation.Moreover, our findings support a provocative hypothesis: genomic expression pathways may be reprogrammed solely through temporal restructuring, without chemical or genetic intervention. This concept is aligned with early insights from chronobiology and photoperiodism research (e.g., Pittendrigh 1960; Millar 1995), but now expanded into a morphogenetic framework.We propose the term Chronobot´anica to describe this emerging field, where time is treated as an active developmental signal rather than a passive schedule. This is effectively CRISPR without the scalpel - a temporal reprogramming of developmental pathways through rhythmic engineering.

This preprint introduces the theoretical and experimental foundations of Chronobotánica, a new framework in plant biology that treats time itself as a morphogenetic variable. The study explores how extended, non-circadian light/dark cycles—known as supercycles (e.g., 13/13, 15/15, 16/16)—induce morphological and metabolic changes in Cannabis sativa and Fragaria x ananassa. Key findings include: The emergence of novel floral structures under extended photoperiods (e.g., multi-stigma flowers, persistent non-senescent blooms). A newly described "Zombie Flower" phenotype, defined by chronic reproductive persistence beyond 200 days. Evidence of hormonal disruption and temporal reprogramming without genetic intervention. Documentation of collateral effects in co-cultivated species under the same photoperiods. This work lays the groundwork for a new line of inquiry in plant science: Chronobotánica, or temporal engineering of plant development through rhythmic manipulation. All data and methods are openly shared, and replication is encouraged.

Keywords

plant morphology, Chronobiology Discipline, non-circadian cycles, Chronobiology Phenomena/physiology, photoperiodism, cannabis research, supercycle, chronobotanica

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average